Efforts continue to revive Ukraine grain deal

Photo: AA/File

Türkiye's foreign minister has expressed hope for the renewal of the UN-led grain deal following Russia's pullout on Saturday (October 29).

Speaking to a group of reporters, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is "personally dealing with the matter" and will discuss it with his counterparts in Russia and Ukraine in the coming days.

"We believe that it (deal) will be settled down," said Çavuşoğlu, noting that roadblocks in front of the deal should be removed for grain shipments to continue.

The minister yesterday discussed the issue in Sochi, Russia with is counterpart Sergey Lavrov, during a trilateral regional cooperation platform meeting between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. No details were disclosed regarding the meeting.

Erdoğan also said yesterday (October 31) that Ankara continues its efforts to revive the deal.

"As it is known, about one-third of the world wheat production is carried out by Ukraine and Russia. You are the closest witness of our efforts to deliver this wheat to countries facing a threat of starvation," he said at the 8th Turkish Medical World Congress in İstanbul.

"With the joint mechanism that we have ensured to be established in İstanbul, we have provided a relative reduction in the food crisis by offering 9.3 million tons of Ukrainian wheat to the service of the world.

"Although Russia is hesitant in this regard as the same facilities are not provided for itself, we will continue our efforts to serve humanity."

Russia had announced it had suspended its participation in the deal to export grain from Ukraine following attacks on its Black Sea Fleet.

Joint center continues inspections

The İstanbul-based Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which was established as part of the deal, said yesterday that the UN, Türkiye and Ukraine had agreed on a movement plan for 16 vessels that are in Türkiye's territorial waters.

The three delegations had also agreed to inspect 40 outbound vessels and Russia had been informed of the development, the center noted.

According to the statement, there are currently 97 loaded vessels and 15 inbound vessels registered for JCC inspection around İstanbul and an additional 89 have applied to join the initiative.

US backs Türkiye's efforts

Meanwhile, the US has announced support for Türkiye's diplomatic efforts.

Asked about the issue at a press conference yesterday, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, "We have the utmost confidence in the Turks when it comes to the Black Sea Grain Initiative," said Price at a press conference.

He said the parties to the agreement — Ukraine, the UN, Türkiye and Russia — up until the weekend had worked effectively together over the course of several months to facilitate the passage of 9.5 million metric tons of grain to the rest of the world.

"We appreciate the efforts in the role Turkey played when it comes to the JCC, when it comes to this initiative more broadly," said Price, referring to the body set up in İstanbul with officials from Türkiye, Russia and Ukraine to oversee grain shipments.

How the Ukraine grain deal works

Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to a grain export crisis from Ukraine, one of the largest grain exporting countries in the world. Ukraine 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 denied 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.

After diplomatic consultations, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal on July 22 to reopen three ports — Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny — for grain that has been stuck for months because of the invasion.

On July 27, a coordination center to implement the deal opened in İstanbul.

The duty of the center is to provide safe sea transportation of grain and similar food products to be exported from Ukraine.

It consists of five representatives – both military and civilian – each from Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the UN.

The center registers and monitors 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 are be inspected by joint inspection teams at locations deemed suitable for loading at Ukrainian ports and upon arrival at ports in Türkiye.

(VK)