TURKEY: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, pleaded with both Russia and Ukraine to act responsibly and respect the agreement they previously signed on Friday in Istanbul.
The statement came after the unforeseen missile strikes sent by the Russians, which hit the southern Ukrainian port of Odesa one day after Kyiv and Moscow signed the deal to allow the exportation of the grains.
“We expect everyone to own their signatures on the agreement and act according to the responsibilities they undertook. We want everyone to avoid actions that are against the spirit of the agreement,” President Erdogan said in an interview.
“The Government of Turkiye has generously provided a physical space for the Joint Coordination Centre, where operations are being established now. By tomorrow, all parties and the UN will have a presence in the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul. We expect that the first ship may move within a few days. The Joint Coordination Centre will be liaising with the shipping industry and publishing detailed procedures for ships very soon,” confirmed Haq.
Helsinki and Stockholm decided not to support the Kurdish People’s Protection Units and the separatist militant Kurdistan’s Workers Party, which Turkey deems terrorist organizations.
“It’s not just about Sweden and Finland; Germany, France, England, Italy, all of the Scandinavian states are all the same. I told these things to their leaders in my bilateral meetings… If it is going to be like this, sorry, but our parliament wouldn’t look positively on this issue,” Erdogan said.
On Monday, while discussing the grain agreement issues, he said, “We have been in constant contact for a long time and held talks on this issue. As a result, we reached the signing in Istanbul of an agreement on the safe export of Ukrainian grain to world markets through the Black Sea,” he said.
According to the President of Türkiye, the plan’s successful implementation will begin to reduce the consequences of the global food crisis, which has reached severe proportions.
“Prices will continue to fall, the pressure on the less developed countries will decrease, and as a result, the hunger problem will be eliminated,” he said.
Also Read: Ukraine and Russia Set to Sign Grain Deal Renewing Black Sea Exports
