Turkey will not recognize Russia’s request to annex the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey has said.
“Türkiye did not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea in an illegitimate referendum in 2014 and has emphasized its strong support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty on every occasion. In accordance with this stance adopted in 2014, we reject Russia’s decision to annex the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions of Ukraine,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey said in a statement on its website.
The ministry said that this decision, which constitutes a grave violation of the established principles of international law, cannot be accepted.
“We reiterate our support to the resolution of this war, the severity of which keeps growing, based on a just peace that will be reached through negotiations,” the ministry said.
The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) authorized five outbound vessels loaded with food on Thursday within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the UN has reported.
“JCC authorized the movement of five ships carrying a total of 83,241 tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” the UN said.
The UN reported that vessels Jasmin Queen (9,531 tonnes of corn), Captain Adam 1 (9,300 tonnes of wheat) and Filyoz (4,410 tonnes of sunflower oil) will go to Turkey. The Kiran America ship will head to China with 50,000 tonnes of barley and corn, while the Santana ship will deliver 10,000 tonnes of wheat to Italy.
In addition, vessel Dignity (8,200 tonnes of sunflower seeds) previously postponed the departure from the port of Chornomorsk to Thursday, September 8. It is planned that it will go to Turkey.
“As of September 7, the total tonnage of grain and foodstuffs exported from the three Ukrainian ports is 2.335 million tonnes. In total, the movement of 211 ships has been authorized at the moment – 111 inbound and 100 outbound,” the UN said.
In Istanbul on July 22, with the participation of the UN, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia, two documents were signed on the creation of a corridor for the export of grain from three Ukrainian ports – Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdenny.
Black Sea Grain Initiative, CHINA, ITALY, SHIPS, TURKEY, Ukrainian food
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a Memorandum on Turkey’s participation in the restoration of Ukraine’s infrastructure. In addition, Turkish campaigns will also provide consulting and technical assistance, said Deputy Head of the Office of the President (OP) Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
“In Lvov, during a meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Memorandum was signed on Turkey’s participation in restoring Ukraine’s infrastructure,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to him, Turkish state and business structures will develop specific restoration projects, as well as provide consulting and technical assistance.
“The restoration of the bridge in the village of Romanovka, Kyiv region, is being considered as the first project,” Tymoshenko stressed.
“We thank our partners for supporting the Fast Recovery plan and our initiatives,” the deputy head of the President’s Office wrote.
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
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is aiming to achieve the signing of an agreement on Ukrainian grain this week, Western media reported on Wednesday.
“As a result of the talks in Istanbul last week, an agreement was reached on the general outlines of the process within the framework of the UN plan. Now we want to consolidate this agreement by signing the document,” Erdogan said. He expressed the hope that the plan will begin to be implemented in the coming days.
At last week’s talks between Russia, Turkey, the UN and Ukraine on the export of Ukrainian grain, the participants agreed to establish a coordination center in Istanbul and reached an agreement on a system of joint grain control in ports.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky noted “certain progress in the negotiations in Turkey on the restoration of food exports from Ukraine through the Black Sea.
“We are indeed making significant efforts to restore food supplies to the global market. I am grateful to the UN and Turkey for their respective efforts,” he said Wednesday evening in a traditional video message.
“The success of this story is needed not only by our state, but, without exaggeration, by the whole world. If the Russian threat to shipping in the Black Sea is removed, this will alleviate the severity of the global food crisis,” Zelensky said.
“The Ukrainian delegation reported to me that there is some progress. In the coming days, we will discuss the details with the UN Secretary General,” he said in conclusion.
