The United Nations on Thursday announced an extension of the Black Sea grain deal for safe export of grains and fertilisers from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea. The grain deal, originally signed in July this year, has been extended for a period of 120 days.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted, “I welcome the agreement by all parties to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate the safe navigation of export of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizers from Ukraine. The initiative demonstrates the importance of discreet diplomacy in finding multilateral solutions."
Announcing the extension of the deal, Guterres said that United Nations is fully committed to removing obstacles that have impeded the export of food and fertiliser from Russia, which is one of two agreements struck between the two countries and Turkey in July.
The deals signed in Istanbul are aimed to help bring down prices of food and fertiliser and avoid a global food crisis.
Confirming the extension of the deal, Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan tweeted, “In accordance with the resolution reached by Turkey, the UN, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine, the Black Sea Grain Initiative was extended for an additional 120 days beginning November 19, 2022, as a result of the quadrilateral discussions hosted by Turkey.”
He added that over 11 million tonnes of grains and foodstuffs were exported in 500 ships since July under the deal. “The significance and benefits of this agreement for the food supply and security of the world have become evident,” Erdogan tweeted.
Russian news agency TASS reported that one of the agreements regulating grain exports from the Kyiv-controlled ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny is valid until November 19, while the Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Center (JCC) established by Russia, the UN, Ukraine and Turkey is designed to conduct vessel inspections to prevent weapons smuggling or any provocations. The latter was signed by Russia, Turkey and the UN and separately by Ukraine, Turkey and the UN.
