UN Secretary-General António Guterres has already arrived in Kiev, where he will speak with the Ukrainian president on Wednesday about, among other things, the enforcement of the grain export agreement via the Black Sea.
secretary general @antonioguterres is in Kyiv. He will meet later today @ZelenskyyUa in Kiev to discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, as well as other relevant issues.
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) March 8, 2023
The visit to Ukraine will be Guterres’s third in the past year, and the United Nations Secretary-General is expected to return to New York on Thursday, his spokesman said in a statement.
The so-called Black Sea Agreement, which facilitates the exit of Ukrainian grains and other food products to international markets, was one of the UN’s most important initiatives in the context of the war and will expire on March 18 unless all parties agree to extend it. It. It.
Russia said on Sunday that it is willing to abide by the grain export agreement if the other participants apply it on an equal footing.
The agreements were signed in several parts because Ukraine refused to sign along with Russia and were formalized in Istanbul on July 22 last year, with the aim of allowing Ukraine (one of the world’s largest producers) to export grains and other products across the Black Sea. Sea export. .
Another agreement, between Russia and the United Nations, stipulated that the United Nations should take measures to lift various restrictions on the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to the world market.
The grain deal was extended for another 120 days in November and expired on March 18.
Last Thursday, Russia’s foreign ministry said the agreement was not working and accused the West of failing to honor the Russia-related part of the agreements.
According to the ministry, about 262,000 tons of fertilizer that Russia planned to donate to the poorest countries have been blocked in ports in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands, while only a batch of 20,000 tons can be shipped to Malawi.
Source: DN
