President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte issues of defense cooperation between the two countries, the export of agricultural products through Ukrainian ports, as well as financial support for Ukraine by the European Union.
“I maintain continued contact with our partners. Discussed the course of hostilities, Ukraine- Netherlands defense cooperation and financial support from the EU with Mark Rutte. Emphasized the importance of exporting Ukrainian grain by sea ASAP,” Zelensky said on Twitter on Thursday evening.
The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul for maritime exports of agricultural products from Ukraine continues to work intensively, as it is necessary to send the first ships with Ukrainian grain to customers as soon as possible.
This was announced by Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar during a meeting with Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov, according to the website of the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
During the meeting, Akar said Turkey is fulfilling and will continue to fulfill its part of the obligations as part of the shipment of goods from the seaports of Ukraine.
According to the Turkish department, its head expressed satisfaction with the news about the possible start of grain exports from Ukraine this week.
The export of Ukrainian grain will be launched primarily from Chornomorsk commercial sea port (Odesa region).
“We believe that within the next 24 hours we will be ready to work on resuming the export of agricultural products from our ports. We are talking about the port of Chornomorsk, it will be the first. Then there will be the port of Odesa and the port of Pivdenny,” the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Ukraine Yuriy Vaskov said during a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.
According to him, within two weeks the Infrastructure Ministry will be technically ready to export from all terminals of the three seaports of the country.
The first shipment of grain, according to Vaskov, is expected this week.
Farmers of Odesa region had already harvested almost 2 million tonnes of grain, Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesman for Odesa regional military administration, said.
“We have one more front, we should not forget about it, and it is also one of the main ones – this is the agrarian front. Today, our grain growers have already harvested almost 2 million tonnes [of grain]. The northern parts of Odesa region have joined the harvest. We understand that if there is grain [and there will be!], there is flour. And Odesa region and other regions of our state, and, accordingly, entire Ukraine will have this resource,” he said at a briefing at the Ukraine Media Center on Monday.
At the same time, Bratchuk is convinced that the grain reserves in Odesa region will be sufficient for Ukraine to be able to export it to other countries.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierres, before signing documents within the framework of the initiative for the safe transportation of grain and food from Ukrainian ports, said that “the main attention in the preparation process was paid to what is more important for the people of the whole world.”
“It will bring relief to developing countries that are on the brink of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the brink of starvation. And help stabilize world food prices, which were already at record levels even before the war,” he said on Friday in Istanbul .
“In particular, the initiative that we have just signed opens up trials for significant volumes of commercial food exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea – Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny,” he said. At the same time, he stressed that “the shipment of grain and food supplies to world markets will help close the global gap in food supplies and reduce pressure on prices.”
The UN Secretary General acknowledged that “this agreement was not easy.” “From the very beginning of the war, I have emphasized that there is no solution to the global food crisis without ensuring full global access to Ukrainian food and Russian food and fertilizers. Today we have taken important steps towards this goal, but it has been a long way,” he said. .
He said, “We look forward to the Turkish government maintaining its decisive role going forward, and I assure that the United Nations will continue to be actively involved in the success of the agreement. We are stepping up efforts to ensure that the UN can fulfill their obligations.”
He also announced the creation of a joint coordinating center to monitor the implementation of the Black Sea initiatives.
According to Gutierres, as part of the initiative, “a task force led by the secretary general of the apparatus, Rebecca Greenspan, has focused its efforts on facilitating the unhindered access of food and fertilizer produced in the Russian Federation to world markets.”
“This is an unprecedented agreement between two sides involved in a bloody conflict. But conflicts continue, and people die every day, and fighting rages every day. The beacon of hope in the Black Sea today shines brightly thanks to the collective efforts of many people,” he said.
Ukraine, Turkey and Russia, with the support of UN Secretary General António Guteres, agreed to facilitate safe shipping for the export of grain, related food products and fertilizers (including ammonia) from the seaports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny within 120 days from the possibility of extending this period.
The corresponding signing of documents within the framework of the initiative for the safe transportation of grain and food from Ukrainian ports took place in Istanbul on Friday: the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov, in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signed a tripartite document with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and the UN Secretary General, who also signed a second such a tripartite document with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
As noted in the text of the initiative, a copy of which is available to the Interfax-Ukraine agency, it is based on agreements between the parties to the 1974 international convention on the safety of life at sea.
In particular, the parties agree on the following:
– maximum security guarantees for all vessels participating in this initiative;
– creation under the auspices of the UN in Istanbul of a joint coordination center (JCC), which includes representatives of all parties;
– Creation and work on the ships participating in the initiative of inspection teams from representatives of the parties, which will inspect the ships in the ports designated by Turkey, when entering / leaving the Turkish Strait to check the absence of unauthorized cargo and personnel on board.
At the same time, all activities in Ukrainian territorial waters will be under the control and responsibility of Ukraine.
The parties will not launch any attacks on merchant and civilian vessels, as well as on port facilities participating in this initiative.
If clearance of approaches to ports is required, a minesweeper from a third country must be involved
Merchant vessels must be pre-registered with the SKC and will be under technical control for the duration of their passage through the maritime humanitarian corridor agreed by all parties.
The RCC will develop and disseminate a detailed operational and communications plan, including the identification of safe havens and medical assistance options along the route.
In order to prevent provocations and incidents, the movement of vessels transiting the maritime humanitarian corridor will be remotely controlled by the Parties.
“No warships, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can approach the maritime humanitarian corridor closer than the distance agreed by the RCC without the permission of the RCC and only after consultation with all Parties,” the text of the initiative emphasizes.
This initiative will be valid for 120 days from the date of signing by all Parties and may be automatically renewed for the same period, unless one of the Parties notifies the other of its intention to terminate the initiative or change it.
At the same time, the achievement of an agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain does not mean a weakening of the security regime in the Black Sea, representatives of Ukraine have repeatedly emphasized.
CHORNOMORSK, EXPORT, GRAIN, ODESSA, PIVDENNY, PORT, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, TURKEY, UKRAINE
