Kyiv, August 01 (QNA) - The Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov confirmed that the first Ukrainian grain shipment left today the port of Odessa in Ukraine heading to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon.
The minister wrote on Twitter that the first grain ship since the start of the war left the port. He added that thanks to the support of all partner countries as well as the United Nations, the Istanbul Agreement is being fully implemented.
The agreement, which allows the export of Ukrainian grain and was signed in Istanbul on July 22, aims to alleviate the impact of the global food crisis that has led to a significant increase in prices in many countries of the world.
Moreover, officials from the Ukrainian Presidency said that 17 ships have docked in Ukraine's ports on the Black Sea, carrying nearly 600,000 tons of cargo. They added that 16 of the ships are carrying Ukrainian grain with a total tonnage of about 580,000 tons.
Ukraine's sea exports have been halted since last February, driving up global prices for grains, edible oils, fuel and fertilizers.
For his part, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed that Ukrainian grain shipments will continue to be exported by the same mechanism as the first shipment that left the Ukrainian port of Odessa today, stressing that the safety of ships carrying grain from Ukraine will be guaranteed in accordance with the agreement signed between the parties.
Akar further explained in statements to the Anadolu Agency that the amount of grain and other food products accumulated in Ukraine's ports is very large, and given the current situation, sea transport is the only way to export. At the same time, he warned that the global food crisis caused by the conflict in Ukraine could affect the immigration movement from Africa to Europe and Turkey.
The minister pointed out that there are foodstuffs and chemical materials awaiting shipment in Russia's ports as well, adding that although the transportation of these goods is outside his scope of work, however, he will be happy to contribute in this regard if necessary.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense had indicated earlier today that the Razoni ship left Odessa towards Tripoli in Lebanon, and is expected to arrive in Istanbul on the second of August before it continues on its way to its final destination following inspections that will take place in Istanbul.
The ministry added that the agreement on the movement of the aforementioned ship came after contacts made by the Turkish Minister of Defense with the concerned authorities. Additionally, great efforts were made at the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul in contributing to reaching an agreement for the first ship to set sail.
It is noteworthy that the signatories to the agreement established a joint coordination center in charge of supervising Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea in Istanbul. The center includes representatives from Russia and Ukraine, as well as Turkey and the United Nations.
Furthermore, the center registers the commercial ships involved in transporting grain, tracks them via the Internet and satellites, and supervises their inspection when they are loaded at Ukrainian ports, and upon their arrival at Turkish ports.
It is worth mentioning that Ukraine and Russia are major global suppliers of wheat, and on July 22, they reached an agreement with Turkey and the United Nations on the transfer of Ukrainian grain stuck in the Black Sea ports to world markets. According to the agreement, the export of Ukrainian grain will resume from three ports in the Odessa province, South of Ukraine and bordering the Black Sea, namely: Odessa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny. (QNA)
01 August 2022
Ukraine Confirms Departure of First Grain Shipment from Odessa Headed to Tripoli - Lebanon
Keywords
General, Arab Affairs, Lebanon
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