Guterres: I thank Turkey for making an effort
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric made a written statement on the matter. In the statement, it was stated that Guterres was focused on the continuation of the agreement, noting that the full implementation of the agreement is important for the global market.
Noting that the Russia-UN memorandum of understanding was effective in lowering world food prices, the statement said: “The Secretary-General is grateful to Turkey, which is striving for the same goal.” expression was used.
LETTER FROM GUTERRES TO PUTIN
In the statement it was announced that the Secretary General sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “The letter conveyed the importance of the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement with a proposal to advance the memorandum of understanding between Russia and the ONU”. the evaluation was done.
In the statement, it was stated that the goal was to remove obstacles affecting financial transactions at the Russian Agricultural Bank and noted that the transportation of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea should continue.
In the statement, it was noted that the Secretary General will continue to emphasize the importance of the agreement for world food security.
“The main concern of the Secretary General is the people in danger in the world. If the agreements are not implemented, they will be hit harder by rising world food and fertilizer prices,” the statement said, adding that Guterres would remain in contact with all parties.
In the statement, it was indicated that the Secretary-General will remain in contact with Russia regarding his proposal.
ZELENSKY’S CALL TO THE UN
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy answered questions from journalists at a press conference he held after his meeting with US President Joe Biden as part of the NATO Vilnius Summit.
Stating that no one will negotiate Ukraine’s NATO membership with anyone, Zelenskiy said: “This (Ukraine’s NATO membership) will be a real political decision based on the security situation in Ukraine.” saying. Zelenskiy noted that they received “strong defense approval” from their allies and that this was very important to them.
Stating that they will not exchange their country’s land for any status, Zelenskiy said: “Even if it is a village where only one grandfather lives (we will not exchange). We will never trade our lands for frozen conflict. My position is clearly known by our partners”. he said.
Noting that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan mentioned the grain initiative at the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting, Zelenskiy said: “President Erdogan said that he supports Turkey’s grain initiative, but there are risks. Here, the UN Secretary General, Mr. (Antonio) Guterres, also needs to work on this issue. Because they had agreements with the Russian side.” saying.
Arguing that the Ukrainian side did not violate anything, Zelenskiy said: “We are not preventing anything. We did not make an agreement with Russia, we made an agreement with the UN and Türkiye. The UN and Türkiye agreed with Russia. This corridor is necessary and this corridor works”. he used the phrases.
BLACK SEA GRAIN CORRIDOR AGREEMENT
To reduce the impact of Russia’s attack on Ukraine on world food prices, the UN, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine signed the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement with a ceremony held in Istanbul on July 22, 2022.
The agreement, which has been extended several times before, will expire on July 17. Russian officials say they see no possibility of extending the agreement.
In its July 4 statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said: “Since September 2022, only two batches of 262,000 tons of Russian fertilizers have been shipped, which are planned to be donated to countries in need. 20,000 tons of fertilizer were shipped to Malawi and 34,000 tons to Kenya. The UN is silent on these issues. In the West, it is reported that sanctions against Russia cannot be eased even on food and fertilizer issues. In these circumstances, there is no reason to continue the agreement, which expires on July 17.” he had used the words.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on the other hand, said in a statement on July 10 that the part of the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement regarding his country was not implemented despite all the efforts of the ONU.
Arguing that the Ukraine-related part of the deal has become a commercial project, Lavrov claimed that less than 3 percent of the total volume of grain exported from Ukrainian ports goes to the poorest and most destitute countries on the Organization’s list. Food World. (AA)