Iran Ready to Participate in Plan for Black Sea Grain Corridor
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed the country’s readiness to contribute to a framework for the establishment of a safe sea corridor in the Black Sea for the export of Ukrainian grain.
In a telephone conversation on Thursday, Amirabdollahian and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba talked about a series of issues of mutual interest and the military conflict in Ukraine.
Reiterating Iran’s opposition to war, Amirabdollahian referred to a recent meeting between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan and also to his own talks with the Russian foreign minister, underlining Iran’s position regarding the need to focus on finding a political solution and avoiding war in Ukraine.
He also stressed Iran’s readiness to pursue a diplomatic solution through the good offices to end the Ukraine crisis.
“We have announced from the very beginning that while noting the root cause of the crisis, we are opposed to resorting to war and do not think war is a suitable solution to problems,” Amirabdollahian stated, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
Iran’s relations with Ukraine have always been based on friendship, respect and mutual interests over the past three decades, he added, voicing Iran’s readiness to participate in the agreement for the opening of a corridor for the shipment of grain via the Black Sea.
The Iranian foreign minister finally invited his Ukrainian counterpart to visit Tehran.
For his part, Foreign Minister Kuleba thanked Iran for its opposition to war, saying Ukraine is ready to receive any political assistance or support to end the crisis in his country.
He also expressed Ukraine’s readiness for the expansion of ties with Iran in all fields, describing the continuation of talks between Tehran and Kyiv for closer ties as constructive.
Kuleba then pointed to the latest situation in his country, thanked Iran’s valuable efforts to end the war, and noted that due to the state of war, the conditions for talks with Russia are difficult.
The Ukrainian foreign minister finally invited Amirabdollahian to pay a visit Kyiv.
Ukraine is looking for security guarantees that would unlock a deal with Russia to allow millions of tons of grain to be shipped through the Black Sea to a hungry world.
A Ukrainian government official has said that a plan is under discussion that would open up blocked Ukrainian ports for ships loaded with grain, without the need to de-mine the waters in the area.