By Janet Ekstract
İSTANBUL- The first Ukrainian grain export shipment launched on Monday, via a cargo ship from Sierra Leone known as Razoni that arrives in Istanbul on Tuesday for inspection then will continue to the port of Tripoli in Libya, carrying close to 26-527 tons of corn. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the opportunity to praise his nation, commenting: “Everyone accepts that the steps taken to overcome the grain crisis, which the world is closely observing, is the product of our country’s efforts.” Erdogan reiterated that the historic grain deal struck between Ukraine and Russia in UN-led negotiations initiated by Türkiye, are an “important diplomatic success.”
The shipments are a result of a tripartite agreement signed on July 22 between the UN, Russia and Ukraine to reopen three Ukrainian ports that include Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny for grain that was unable to be exported for months due to Russia’s blockade on Ukraine’s ports on the Black Sea. On Wednesday, last week, a joint coordination center was opened in Istanbul to facilitate the process.
