Ankara, May 16 – A source familiar with the negotiations told the News Agency that there are no encouraging prospects for extending the term of the grain deal at present.
UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that discussions on the fate of the food deal will resume at a technical level until May 18.
“These will be negotiations of technical delegations, which, in principle, have been going on since the inception of the mechanism,” said the agency’s spokesman.
When asked about the prospects for extending the grain deal, he replied that “at the moment there are no encouraging prospects.”
“It is difficult for me to say what will happen tomorrow. Perhaps progress will be made, but if we are talking today, there are no (prospects – ed.). But we all want and are determined to ensure that the work of the mechanism does not stop,” said the source.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations, involves the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizers across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. Ship movement is coordinated by the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul. Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated in September that the West exports most of the Ukrainian grain to its own countries, not to needy countries in Africa. As of March 18, 2023, Russia has extended the deal by 60 days — until May 18, Ukraine insists the deal be extended by 120 days.
The Grain Initiative is an integral part of the package agreement. The second part, the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for a period of three years, provides for the liberalization of Russian exports of food and fertilizers, the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT system, the resumption of the supply of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and a number of measures other. As noted in Moscow, this part of the agreement package has not yet been implemented.
This Article No Promising Prospects Announced in Grain Deal Negotiations was first Published on World Weekly News
Source: No Promising Prospects Announced in Grain Deal Negotiations
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