Turkmenistan president visits Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah

RIYADH: Ukraine is dedicated to fulfilling its obligation as a meals safety guarantor beneath a grain provide initiative, its ambassador to Saudi Arabia mentioned on Thursday.

“President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky introduced a humanitarian initiative titled ‘Grain from Ukraine’ which envisages offering Ukrainian grain to at the very least 5 million folks the world over by the summer season of 2023,” Anatolii Petrenko instructed Arab Information.

“Up to now, beneath the auspices of the World Meals Program, seven vessels with 220,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat have been despatched to international locations most reliant on Ukrainian grain.

“In complete, Ukraine has already exported greater than 10 million tons of grain because the launch of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. And now, Ukraine is able to improve grain exports by just a few instances.”

Petrenko added that Russia’s invasion had pushed 70 million folks world wide to the verge of hunger.

“The correct to meals is among the most vital rights of each particular person on this planet, and the Ukrainian grain export initiative deserves to be expanded indefinitely, no matter when the warfare ends,” he mentioned.

“Consultants emphasize that greater than 400 million folks on this planet depend upon the grain provides from Ukraine. The world meals market shouldn’t be versatile, which implies that it will likely be inconceivable to exchange Ukrainian merchandise by way of the diversification of provides from different international locations, even within the subsequent 4 to 5 years.”

Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov mentioned on Twitter on Thursday that the “#BlackSeaGrainInitiative will likely be extended for 120 days,” calling it “one other vital step within the international battle towards the (international) meals disaster.”

The warfare in Ukraine has seen the value of grains soar to document highs, with the UN warning of a worsening meals disaster on this planet’s poorest international locations.

In July, an settlement brokered by the UN, Russian Federation and Turkiye beneath the Black Sea Grain Initiative helped curb costs and stave off a world disaster by permitting the export of meals and fertilizers from a number of of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports that had been blockaded by Russia.

On Nov. 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone name that he wished ensures from Kyiv earlier than it doubtlessly rejoined the grain deal.

Russia sought “actual ensures from Kyiv concerning the strict observance of the Istanbul settlement, specifically about not utilizing the humanitarian hall for army functions,” based on an announcement from the Kremlin.

The Turkiye and UN-brokered deal allowed Ukrainian grain exports to renew in August, easing a meals disaster attributable to the battle.

However Russia accused Ukraine of misusing the secure delivery hall for an assault on Russian ships in Crimea and suspended its participation within the settlement.

Ukraine mentioned Russia’s declare was a “false pretext” to withdraw from the deal.