Two-day negotiations on the continuation of the "grain agreement" in Istanbul have ended. As reported by the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey, the parties agreed to continue negotiations in the same format in the near future.
As reported in the Turkish agency, "useful meetings with constructive approaches of the parties took place over the course of two days."
"The parties expressed a positive approach to coordinating the return of merchant ships and their crews stuck in Ukrainian ports due to conflict conditions, planning and carrying out evacuation activities.
In addition, it was agreed that this operation will become a model for the evacuation of ships from other countries that are stuck in Ukrainian ports, and will support the work that will be carried out in this direction in the near future," the message reads.
Also, "positive and constructive progress has been made in the Black Sea Grains Initiative, which has made a significant contribution to the stability of food prices around the world and is of vital importance for global food supply and security."
"The parties agreed to continue the work carried out by Turkey at the technical level, in a quadrilateral format, so that the Grain Initiative continues its effective activities in the near future," the message reads.
As the Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine - the Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov reported, during the negotiations the Ukrainian side emphasized that the grain initiative should be extended for a longer period and expanded.
"Negotiations in Istanbul regarding the functioning of the Grain Initiative have been completed. The UN and Turkey, as signatories of the initiative, understand that the Grain Initiative is critically important for world food security and must function stably. Therefore, at their suggestion, further consultations on unlocking the Initiative will be continued in an online format.
The Ukrainian delegation once again emphasized that the Grain initiative should be extended for a longer period and expanded. This will give predictability and confidence to both global and Ukrainian markets. But, first of all, it is necessary to restore the registration of the incoming fleet and conduct inspections without artificial delays and in accordance with the procedures of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC)," Kubrakov said in Telegram.
On May 10-11, negotiations on the grain agreement were held in Istanbul at the level of deputy defense ministers.
Russia has previously said it would not extend the deal beyond May 18 unless a list of demands were met to remove obstacles to its own grain and fertilizer exports.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Wednesday that he believed the agreement allowing the safe export of grain and fertilizer from three Ukrainian ports could be extended for at least another two months.
