UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the revival of the "Black Sea Initiative" for grain exports from Ukraine to prevent its potential disruption once again. He has appealed to all nations for assistance in this endeavor.
Speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council, Guterres emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to ensure secure and reliable exports of grains and fertilizers from both Russia and Ukraine, with a foundation in sustainability. He stressed that there should be no new threat of disruption. He expressed gratitude to the Turkish government for its contribution and urged all member states to support their efforts.
Guterres pointed out that Russia's actions undermine the organization's efforts to implement the memorandum between Moscow and the United Nations. Many stakeholders, particularly in the private sector, are questioning whether Moscow genuinely intends to revive the Black Sea Initiative.
The "Black Sea Initiative," signed by representatives from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Nations on July 22, 2022, aims to export Ukrainian grains, food, and fertilizers via the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa.
The grain deal expired on July 18th, and Russia informed Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Nations of its opposition to extending the deal in its current form.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia agreed to participate in the grain deal, renewing it three times after Western promises to fulfill certain obligations requested by Russia. None of these commitments were met.
In his address at the Russian-African Forum's general session, President Putin highlighted Russia's participation in the grain deal, considering it crucial to remove any unjustified barriers to the global market for Russian grain and fertilizers. However, these conditions were not met.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin suggested the possibility of resuming the grain deal in a "new format," contingent on concrete actions taken by Western countries.
On the fourth of this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks in the Russian city of Sochi on the same issue.
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