UN confirms over 650,000 tons of food products from Ukraine on their way to world markets

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday announced that more than 650 thousand tons of food from Ukraine was successfully exported to the international market within the scope of the implementation of the “product agreement”. Speaking at the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, Guterres informed that he had made a planned visit to Ukraine's port of Odessa, where he saw the cargo ships being loaded with goods to be dispatched for the world's market.

The UN chief hailed the progress, adding that there should similarly be unhindered access to world markets for Russian food and fertiliser products which are “not subject to sanctions”. Guterres called at the presser in Istanbul that 6,50,000 tons of grains and other food products shipped to the global market are a significant progress.

“I have just returned from the Sea of ​​Marmara, where groups of (inspectors) from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN are conducting joint inspections of ships passing through the Black Sea on their way to and back from Ukrainian ports," he continued.

“I saw the Brave Commander commissioned by the World Food Program waiting to sail the Horn of Africa to deliver the necessary aid to those suffering from acute hunger.”

'There may not be enough food in 2023': UN warns

The UN Chief stressed that it is important that all governments and the private sector work together to bring important goods to market despite that a war is raging to curb global inflation and deter the shortage of food that would lead to the global hunger crisis. "Without fertilizers in 2022, there may not be enough food in 2023,” he warned. On July 22, the UN felicitated multilateral agreements in Istanbul on the lifting of restrictions on the supply of Russian products for export and Russia’s assistance in the export of Ukrainian grain. 

Ukraine has also signed a memorandum with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the reconstruction efforts of Ukrainian infrastructure damaged by the ongoing military operation launched by Russia. The deal was inked following the trilateral meeting in Lviv, in western Ukraine that included Zelenskyy, Erdogan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mus and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed the agreement following the three-way dialogue among the leaders. "The agreement provides for the participation of the Turkish side in the reconstruction process of Ukraine," the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry said in a statement.