UN Chief Sends Letters to Putin, Erdogan on Black Sea Shipping
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in February sent letters to the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Ukraine with proposals to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, UN chief’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
"We continue our discussions with all parties to keep trade open, the food flowing and ships safe. In that vein, earlier in February the Secretary General sent letters to the Presidents of the Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine," the spokesman told TASS.
He pointed out that in the letters, Guterres emphasized that "freedom of civilian navigation remains the overarching aim of the ongoing UN efforts," and that "food and trade routes must be safe, sustainable and predictable."
Dujarric stressed that in light of the lessons learned from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, "the UN continues its active engagement with the Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine and other relevant parties with the objective of further mitigating risks to commercial shipping in the Black Sea."
On Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin commented on Turkey's Black Sea navigation initiative, pointing out that it was not related to the grain deal. He also said that "the humanitarian corridor, through which peaceful dry-cargo ships should pass, was used by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks against Russian facilities." Erdogan earlier said that it was necessary to conclude an agreement to ensure the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea. According to him, contacts are underway in cooperation with the UN to work out a new regulation that would include obligations to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
The grain deal expired on July 17, 2023. Russia, which has extended the July 2022 agreement on the Black Sea corridor for ships carrying Ukrainian grain several times, recalled that the part of the deal that concerned Russia — the removal of obstacles to agricultural exports — had not been implemented. Moscow also pointed out that although the agreements were intended to send food to the poorest countries, most of Ukraine’s grain went to developed Western countries. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was ready to return to the agreement, but only if the part concerning Moscow was implemented.