Türkiye, UN, Russia, Ukraine sign deal to resume grain exports

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine on Friday signed a deal in Istanbul to resume Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the Signature Ceremony of Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs Ukrainian Ports Document at the Dolmabahçe Palace along with the representatives from Russia and Ukraine.

"We are proud of being instrumental in an initiative that will play a major role in the solution of the global food crisis that has occupied the whole world for a long time," Erdoğan said.

The president added: "We will contribute to preventing the danger of hunger that awaits billions of people in the world."

The deal came after a general agreement was reached between the parties on a UN-led plan during talks in Istanbul on July 13 to form a coordination center to carry out joint inspections at the entrance and exit of the harbors, and to ensure the safety of the routes.

Internationally praised for its mediator role, Türkiye has coordinated with Moscow and Kyiv to open a corridor from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa to resume global grain shipments which are stuck due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fifth month.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Guterres thanked Türkiye for its "facilitation and persistence" in signing of the grain deal.

This initiative must be fully implemented because the world so desperately needs it, the UN chief stressed, calling the deal a "beacon of hope in the Black Sea."

"It will bring relief for developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine," he said.