Istanbul: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that more than 50,000 tons of grain have been shipped so far from Ukrainian ports since the beginning of August under the Istanbul grain agreement, expressing his hopes that this process continues to run smoothly and does not get interrupted.
During his visit to the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul today, Guterres said in a joint press conference with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar that there may not be enough food during 2023, if there wasnt a sufficient quantity of fertilizers available in 2022.
The Secretary-General added that the other part of the grain deal includes the unimpeded access for Russian food and fertilizer to world markets, with those Russian exports not subjected to sanctions.
Guterres highlighted the importance of cooperation between all governments as well as the private sector to put these materials on the market.
He stressed the cruciality of getting more food and fertilizers out of Ukraine and Russia in order to calm commodity markets further and lower prices for consumers.
In turn, the Turkish Defense Minister said that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has increased the risk of an energy and food crisis in the world.
He added that this crisis generated the need to establish a safe passage at sea in order to ship more than 25 million tons of grain stuck in Ukrainian ports to the countries that have an urgent need.
Akar explained that 51 cargo ships have left the ports of Ukraine since the beginning of this month.
It is worth mentioning that on July 27, Istanbul witnessed the opening of the Joint Coordination Center to ensure the safe shipment of grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports to world countries. The center includes representatives from Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations.
