The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on Wednesday said that the United Nations plan to mitigate a global food crisis by restarting Ukrainian grain exports along a sea corridor was “reasonable” but required more talk with Moscow and Kyiv to ensure the safety of the ships.
Kyiv’s Black Sea grain exports were halted due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the month of February, which consequently left the rest of the world in a looming food crisis.
As Russia and Ukraine together account for approximately one third of the world’s wheat supply, the Indian export ban as well as the adverse weather in North America and Western Europe have underscored their importance.
The war, combined with Western sanctions against Russia, has resulted in skyrocketing prices for commodities such as wheat, cooking oil, fertilizer, and energy, exacerbating the threat to food security in poorer countries.
At this juncture, the United Nations urged the two sides, and the maritime neighbor and a NATO member state – Turkey, to agree to a corridor.
“Various ideas have been put out for the export of Ukrainian grains to the market and most recently is the UN plan (including) a mechanism that can be created between the United Nations, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey,” the foreign minister of Turkey said.
He added, “we see it as reasonable.” “Of course, both Ukraine and Russia must accept it.”