More than 15M tonnes of grain exported from Ukrainian ports – Turkish defense minister

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said this during a trip to Gaziantep province, Ukrinform reports, citing DHA.

"Thanks to the work of the Joint Coordination Center established in Istanbul, more than 15 million tonnes of food were safely sent from Ukrainian ports to countries in need," Akar said.

He also added that Turkey, especially in the recent period, conducted active diplomacy to end the Russian-Ukrainian war as soon as possible and achieve a ceasefire, and made a great contribution to signing and continuing the shipment of grain to overcome the food crisis that threatens the whole world.

On November 17 in Istanbul, Ukraine, the United Nations and Turkey agreed to extend the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports (the Black Sea Grain Initiative) for another 120 days. The initiative was launched on July 22, and the first vessel with Ukrainian grain left the port of Odesa on August 1.

Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine