Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative starting today, following intensive talks held lately.
Erdogan said that the extension was agreed on thanks to negotiations held amongst his country together with the Russian and Ukrainian parties.
Erdogan pointed out that to date, more than 25 million tons of grain have been exported to international markets via more than 800 cargo ships, which confirms this agreement's great impact on global food security, price stability, and food availability.
The deal, which the United Nations and Turkiye brokered last July to ensure the safe passage of ships carrying vital grain exports from Ukraine, was due to expire today.
This agreement comes after Russia said that it had agreed to extend the deal for 60 days, whilst the United Nations confirmed that the deal provided for an extension of 120 days, not 60 days.
Istanbul witnessed on July 22, the signing of the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports, amongst Turkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations, securing grain exports stuck in Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, in order to address global food shortages.
Source: Qatar News Agency