Turkey determined to continue efforts to keep Ukraine grain deal, Erdogan says
Recep Erdogan said that Turkey wants the continuation of the grain agreement (Photo:Vyacheslav Prokofyev/REUTERS)
Turkey is determined to continue efforts to keep the Ukraine grain deal in force, despite Russia suspending its participation in the break-through agreement, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as saying on Oct. 31.
“Although Russia is hesitant in this regard because the same facilities are not provided for itself, we will resolutely continue our efforts to serve humanity,” Erdoğan said at the 8th Turkish Medical World Congress.
According to Ukraine’s European Pravda online newspaper, the grain deal is written in such a way that it can be implemented without Russia. The document stipulates that the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) includes the United Nations and other sides. But if Russia insists that it is no longer a party to the agreement and does not act as part of the JCC, then Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Nations will still remain.
The remaining parties can start inspecting ships heading to and from Ukraine on their own. And all the ships that go to the sea ports of Odesa Oblast will have a UN Versailles certification that it is a peaceful ship without a military cargo.
Russia announced on Oct. 29 that it was suspending its participation in the grain deal. The relevant statements were issued by the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Ministry. Later, the Russian media reported that Russia had also officially notified the UN Secretary General about its decision.
The Russian government blamed a drone attack on Russian military naval vessels docked in the Sevastopol Bay for disrupting the agreement. They falsely accused Ukraine and the UK for targeting civilian vessels “involved in ensuring the security of the grain corridor.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and the Office of the President called Moscow’s actions “food blackmail” and emphasized that Russia was withdrawing from the agreement under a false pretext.
Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry emphasized that Ukraine was ready to continue operating with the framework of the grain initiative.
Twelve vessels with 354,500 tons of agricultural products for African, Asian and European countries departed from the Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi sea ports on Oct. 31.
Representatives of Russia have been informed about this.
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