NEW YORK: UN chief Antonio Guterres has written to Moscow, Kyiv, and Ankara to raise concerns regarding the execution of an agreement that permits the safe wartime export of grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday.
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The UN has said no vessels were inspected on Tuesday under the agreement “as the parties required more time to reach a deal on operational priorities.” It added that inspections of the ships resumed on Wednesday.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told journalists that Antonio Guterres has written letters to all parties and are diligently working in collaboration with Ankara to maintain the continuity of the key agreement.
The deal was brokered by Turkey and the UN to help tackle a world food crisis that the UN officials said had been worsened by the deadly war in Europe since World War II. The agreement saw a restoration of Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, which had been stopped by Russia’s attack.
All vessels are inspected by officials from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the UN in waters near Turkey on the way to Kyiv. The UN said there are dozens of vessels waiting to be inspected before they travel to Kyiv.
Earlier, Moscow said that there was no need to talk regarding the further extension of the Black Sea step after May 18″ unless there was progress on resolving what it called “systemic issues” with its own fertilizer and food exports.
