No agreement on extending grain deal, negotiations continue
Two days of talks on the Black Sea Grain Initiative at the level of deputy defense ministers concluded in Istanbul. It was agreed to continue negotiations in the same format soon, as well as to return the ships and crews that were forced to stay in Ukraine.
Ukrinform reported this with reference to Turkish Ministry of National Defense.
"The parties agreed to continue efforts at the technical level in a quadripartite format, with Türkiye as a platform, to ensure the effective operation of the Grain Initiative in the near future," the Ministry said.
It is noted that the two days were useful and marked by constructive approaches of the parties.
"The parties have demonstrated a positive approach to coordinating the return of our (ed. - Turkish) merchant ships and their crews, which remained in Ukrainian ports due to the conflict conditions, and to planning and conducting evacuation," the ministry stated.
It was also agreed that this operation would serve as a model for the evacuation of other countries' vessels remaining in Ukrainian ports and that actions would be supported soon.
The document emphasizes the importance of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in stabilizing food prices globally and its importance from the global food and security perspective.
Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration - Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, emphasized on Facebook that the Ukrainian delegation had once again noted during the talks that the grain initiative should be extended for a longer period and expanded. This will give predictability and confidence to both the global and Ukrainian markets.
"But this requires resuming the registration of the incoming fleet and conducting inspections without artificial delays and in accordance with the procedures of the Joint Coordination Centre," Kubrakov stated.
As Ukrinform reported, on May 10-11, Istanbul hosted talks on the grain deal at the level of deputy defense ministers of Türkiye, Ukraine, Russia, and UN representatives. Yesterday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that the agreement on the grain corridor in the Black Sea could be extended for at least two more months.
Photo: Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defense