Ukraine grain deal: UN chief welcomes opening of İstanbul coordination center

Photo: AA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the inauguration of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) established in İstanbul as part of a deal to restart grain exports from Ukraine to the world.

"The secretary-general is grateful to Türkiye for providing the parties and the United Nations with a platform to help operationalize the Black Sea Grain Initiative," Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesperson, said in a statement today (July 28).

The UN chief also thanked Russia and Ukraine "for nominating and quickly sending their senior representatives to İstanbul," where the center was officially opened on Wednesday.

"He underscores the importance of the Parties working in partnership directly to effectively implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative, with a view to reducing global food insecurity," Haq said.

"The work of the JCC will enable the safe transportation, by merchant ships, of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea to the rest of the world."

How the center will work

The coordination center for grain exports opened yesterday in İstanbul.

The duty of the center is to provide safe sea transportation of grain and similar food products to be exported from Ukraine, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar said at the opening ceremony at the National Defense University in İstanbul.

"The center consists of five representatives – both military and civilian – each from Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the UN. There will be no military element in the field," he said.

The center will register and monitor the departure of commercial ships via satellite, internet, and other communication means, and will carry out all its activities in coordination with the parties and the UN.

The ships will be inspected by joint inspection teams at locations deemed suitable for loading at Ukrainian ports and upon arrival at ports in Türkiye.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine on July 22 signed the deal to reopen three of Ukraine's ports for grain that had been stuck for months due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

How the grain export crisis began

Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24 led to a grain export crisis from Ukraine, one of the largest grain exporting countries in the world. Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing the grain in the places it occupied in Ukraine. Turkey is among the places where the stolen grain is sold, according to officials from Ukraine.

Russia denies stealing Ukraine's grain and says the disruption in the grain shipment is caused by the naval mines laid by Ukraine off the Black Sea coasts.

Nearly 4,900 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on February 24, according to UN figures. Over 15 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 8.4 million that have fled to other countries. (VK)