Ukraine grain deal may be a step towards cease-fire, according to Türkiye's FM

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Following last week's deal on grain exports, Türkiye's foreign minister said "now it is time to focus on brokering a cease-fire" between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili yesterday (July 28), Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu praised the grain exports deal signed in Istanbul last Friday with the UN, Russia, and Ukraine.

With the agreement, the obstacles "to exports of not only Ukrainian grain but also Russian grain and fertilizer" have come down, helping to feed a hungry world, he said.

The parties, during talks in Istanbul, agreed to form a coordination center to carry out joint inspections at the entrances and exits of harbors and to ensure the safety of the routes. The center started operations yesterday.

Türkiye has coordinated with Moscow and Kyiv to open a corridor from the Ukraine's port city of Odessa to resume global grain shipments, which have been long stuck due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

Voicing hope that the deal will be implemented without any interruptions or issues, Çavuşoğlu said the grain and wheat could then be transported to countries that are in urgent need.

Trust between Russia and Ukraine

If the deal is successfully implemented, he added, "it could really boost trust between Russia and Ukraine."

"Now it's time to focus on a cease-fire. This is not just a process to be carried out at the level of foreign ministers," Çavuşoğlu added, voicing Türkiye's readiness to host and mediate talks between Russia and Ukraine towards a lasting peace.

Emphasizing that there is no loser in peace if there is a fair cease-fire, Çavuşoğlu said the war on Ukraine will end at the negotiating table, eventually.

"As Türkiye, we will continue our efforts to make parties return to the diplomacy table as soon as possible," he added.

The grain crisis and the İstanbul deal

Russia's invasion 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 its territory. Türkiye is among the places where the stolen grain is sold, according to officials from Ukraine.

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

Türkiye took a mediator role to broker a deal between the two countries to resume grain exports from Ukraine.

After weeks of consultations, 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.

The coordination center for grain exports opened on July 28 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.

(VK)