Iran Press/ Europe: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday thanked Türkiye for its contribution to the landmark deal to resume grain exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
"I would like to once again thank our Turkish partners, personally President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for their contribution to the results achieved today," Lavrov said in a video message posted on Twitter.
“The main task is to ensure transparent and unhindered supplies of Russian food and fertilizers, including raw materials for their production, to world markets," he said.
Russia will remain true to its commitments in the field of food security, Lavrov stressed.
He added that it is "unacceptable and inhumane" for the US and its allies to use the issue of food security for “geopolitical adventures.”
“It is gratifying that Washington and Brussels have stopped blocking the realization of today’s deals,” he said, while accusing the western countries of “shifting the blame for food problems to Moscow.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also welcomed the signing of the deal for the "safe transportation of grain and other food exports from Ukrainian ports."
"Resuming them is vitally important for Ukraine and the world. I commend the efforts of Antonio Guterres and count on the UN to ensure proper implementation," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
Andrii Sybiha, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said he appreciates the active position of the UN and Türkiye in the settlement of the “grain issue.”
"This will allow establishing a humanitarian corridor to export grain. An important step to avoid the global food crisis," he wrote on Twitter.
Under the deal reached on a UN-led plan during talks in Istanbul, a coordination center will be established to carry out joint inspections at the entrances and exits of harbors, and to ensure the safety of the routes.
More than 50 countries depend on Russia and Ukraine for their grain and wheat, and these comprise about a fifth of the world's calories and protein. A shortage or increase in the cost of wheat means an impact on essential foods such as bread, pasta and cereals. With the intensification of the crisis in Ukraine and the efforts of the countries of the world to find different suppliers, the price of many types of food has also increased. 219
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