The Turkish President at the treaty ceremony on July 22.
(Photo: IMAGO/UPI Photo)
Istanbul The freighter “Razoni” with grain from Ukraine is expected in Istanbul on Wednesday night. The ship is making good progress, Turkish General Özcan Altunbudak said at a press conference held by the Joint Coordination Center for Grain Exports from Ukraine on Tuesday. It is the first grain shipment through a Ukrainian Black Sea port since the Russian attack on the country in late February.
In the West, the grain deal is primarily seen as a partial solution to the global food crisis. The agreement reached through the mediation of the United Nations and Turkey showed “that even in these brutal times, small gestures of humanity can be made possible,” said Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday in New York. UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke of a “milestone”.
In Turkey itself, humanity and food supply play a subordinate role in the debate about the grain deal. Above all, the media praise the diplomatic skills of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Once again he managed to gain influence on the world stage. “We can be proud of ourselves,” wrote the Turkish daily Hürriyet.
The first ship, named Ravoni, will fly the Sierra Leonean flag and will carry 26,000 tons of grain from Odessa to Lebanon. With an estimated 22 million tons waiting to be loaded in the Ukrainian port, almost 100 such ships would have to be loaded in order to empty the Ukrainian grain silos.
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The contract between Ukraine, Russia and Turkey and the United Nations is valid for 120 days. Since the first few days have already passed without any shipments, a ship would have to leave the port of Odessa almost every day.
Soaring prices due to grain blockade
It is not yet clear how long the inspections off the Turkish coast will last. According to the contract, the government in Ankara had agreed to check the cargo of each ship to ensure that no other goods or even weapons were being transported.
The Turkish metropolis is waiting for the first grain freighter from Ukraine.
(Photo: dpa)
It will soon become clear how quick and thorough the inspections are. If they last longer than a day, the 120 days will hardly be enough to empty the grain silos in Ukraine. Then Ukraine and Russia would have to renegotiate in November – shortly before the onset of winter.
Millions of tons of grain have been stuck on the Black Sea in Ukraine for months. The warring parties recently signed an agreement that provides for the resumption of exports. Exports from three ports should be possible via secure routes.
Like Russia, the Ukraine has been one of the world’s largest grain exporters. However, the ports on the Black Sea such as Odessa could not be used as usual due to the blockade by the Russian armed forces. This has already led to rising prices and bottlenecks, especially in poorer countries.
“If nothing goes wrong, exports should be possible at one ship per day for a while,” a senior Turkish official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. They should help prevent a food crisis.
The “Razoni” left Odessa on Monday without incident. It transports around 26,500 tons of grain and is supposed to bring it to Lebanon. On Tuesday morning Central European Time, the ship was in the western part of the Black Sea, not far from the Romanian Danube Delta. With that, it has covered almost half of the way to get into Turkish waters.
grain ship
26,500
metric tons
The freighter “Razoni” has grain on board.
The “Razoni” is expected off the Turkish coast in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. There it should be scrutinized by representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN. This is part of the deal to allay Russian concerns about arms smuggling.
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