On Wednesday in Istanbul, at the negotiations on navigation in the Black Sea, a meeting of Ukrainian and Turkish representatives will first take place, and then an expanded meeting between Ukraine, Turkey, the UN and Russia. This was announced by Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak in a Telegram channel.
“Unblocking Ukrainian ports is one of the key components of global food security. We need to do this as soon as possible. We believe that the issue of unblocking Ukrainian grain exports should be resolved under the auspices of the UN. Secretary General António Guterres is involved in this process, we are grateful to him for this,” Yermak said.
He said “the strong position of our military in the Black Sea will allow the return of safe navigation of ships, which is also important for ensuring the protection of national and regional security. This is a priority for Ukraine. This will restore the export of Ukrainian grain and ensure the food security of the world.”
According to him, a round of negotiations on navigation in the Black Sea will be held tomorrow in Istanbul. “A meeting of Ukrainian and Turkish representatives is planned there. After that, an expanded meeting will be held between Ukraine, Turkey, the UN and Russia, at which the issues of the functioning of sea corridors for grain exports should be discussed. For Ukraine, the issue of security is a key one. I will tell you the details in due course,” the head of the President’s Office said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) strongly condemns the Russian Federation’s actions in disposing of grain that was illegally seized from Ukrainian farmers.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the Russian Federation’s actions in disposing of grain that was illegally seized from Ukrainian farmers. Russian occupants are stealing Ukrainian grain and either consuming it themselves or attempting to sell it on international markets. The plunder of food supplies from the territory of an independent sovereign state is one of the aspects of looting,” the MFA said in a comment posted on the website on Wednesday.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine warned consumer countries that grain consignments exported by Russia could contain stolen grain obtained as a result of Russian occupation authorities’ plundering. Any country that knowingly purchases stolen grain is considered to be complicit in the crime.”
According to existing information, the occupants have already seized at least 400-500 thousand tons of grain worth more than $100 million, according to the Ukrainian government. It is known that “almost all grain-laden ships departing from Sevastopol transport stolen Ukrainian commodities.”
“The criminal seizure, export and consumption of Ukrainian is another example of Russia’s destructive acts, which, in particular, contravene the fundamental principles of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – achieving food security for all and overcoming hunger,” the ministry emphasizes.
In addition, “the aggressor state’s policy puts into doubt the relevance of its participation in FAO and other international organizations.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands that Russia stop illicit grain stealing, unblock Ukrainian ports, restore freedom of navigation, and allow trade ships to pass.
“We urge the international community to strengthen economic sanctions against Russia in order to stop its military aggression against Ukraine, to avert a humanitarian disaster and the world’s food security crisis,” the ministry said.
The restoration of navigation on the Prypiat River will make it possible to reveal the transit potential of Ukraine through the development of a river transport corridor from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, Head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority Raivis Veckagans has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“At the initiative of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus, and also with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Royal Haskoning DHV in May of this year completed a survey of navigable hydraulic structures of the E-40 waterway, connecting the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea through the Wisla River, the Zakhidny Bug (the Western Bug), the Prypiat River and the Dnipro River, in the territory of Belarus. In the near future, a working group with the participation of specialists from the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, the Dredging Fleet branch of the authority, and the State Hydrographic Service will conduct similar work on the Ukrainian stretch of the Prypiat and Dnipro rivers,” he said.
BALTIC SEA, BLACK SEA, CORRIDOR, NAVIGATION, POTENTIAL, PRYPIAT, RIVER, TRANSIT
