NEW YORK: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he will meet Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian leaders at the annual UN meeting next week to revive Black Sea Grain deal, Turkish media reported on Wednesday.
Guterres determined to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative
Guterres told journalists that he is determined to do everything possible to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Guterres did not give any specific time of his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Russia withdrew from the grain deal in July saying parts related to its demands have not been implemented so far. Moscow demands removal of sanctions to fertilizer exports and the inclusion of state-owned Russian Agricultural Bank in the SWIFT global payment mechanism.
The deal was signed in Istanbul in July 2022 by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN, for a safe corridor through the Black Sea for Ukrainian exports since the war began in February of that year.
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The agreement helped to ease a global food crisis by restoring the flow of wheat, sunflower oil, fertilizer and other products from Ukraine, a major grain exporter.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres had recently conveyed some proposals to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with the aim of reviving the grain deal.
The discussion between Russia and Turkey are also underway to supply up to 1 million tons of Russian grain to Turkey at reduced prices. The grain would be processed at Turkish plants and later shipped to other countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time will personally attend the global gathering of world leaders.
