UN, EU welcome agreement to continue Black Sea grain deal

The UN Chief and top EU officials, on Thursday, welcomed the agreement reached by parties to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Anadolu News Agency reports.

“I welcome the agreement by all parties to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate the safe navigation of export of grain, foodstuffs and fertilisers from Ukraine,” UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said in a tweet.

“The initiative demonstrates the importance of discreet diplomacy in finding multilateral solutions,” he added.

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, congratulated Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Guterres on the development.

“Together with EU Solidarity Lanes the UN Black Sea Grain Initiative helps avoid global food shortages and bring down food prices despite Russia’s war,” she added on Twitter.

Commending the efforts, European Council President, Charles Michel, called the agreement “good news” for a world that badly needs access to grain and fertilisers.

On early Thursday, Erdogan announced that the grain deal has been extended for another four months.

“In accordance with the resolution reached by Turkiye, the UN, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the Black Sea Grain Initiative was extended for an additional 120 days beginning 19 November, 2022, as a result of the quadrilateral discussions hosted by Turkiye,” he said on Twitter.

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that Ukraine, together with Guterres and Erdogan, made a key decision in the global fight against the food crisis.

On 22 July, Turkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which had been paused in February due to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The parties were negotiating a possible extension and expansion beyond its 19 November deadline.

More than 10 million tons of grain have been exported from Ukraine since 1 August, according to the UN.

READ: Turkiye can become safe grain hub: Expert