The grain agreement can be extended for 60 days

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu emphasized that the agreement on the "grain corridor" in the Black Sea can be extended for at least another two months.

“Actually the extension was done for 2 months, I think we can get results by extending at least another 2 months. I think we will be able to implement it," CNN Türk quoted the minister as saying.

In general, the situation surrounding the Black Sea Grain Initiative causes concern for world institutions. In particular, the United Nations emphasized that they do not have a "backup plan" if Russia withdraws from the agreement that allows Ukraine to export grain to international markets.

"There is no Plan B for the Black Sea," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stressed in response to a question about what would happen if Russia followed through on threats to withdraw from the deal.

It should be noted that since the signing on July 22 in Istanbul, the Black Sea Grain Initiative has facilitated the safe export of more than 30 million metric tons of grain and other food products from three Black Sea ports of Ukraine to world markets.

Currently, it is known that Russia has slowed down the export of Ukrainian grain within the framework of the agreement, slowing down the mandatory inspection of vessels. According to the information of the Istanbul Joint Coordination Center, which supervises inspections, the number of inspections of ships bound for Ukraine and leaving the country has significantly decreased. There are currently 26 vessels in Turkish waters with over a million metric tons of grain and food.

In turn, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Russia to continue the grain agreement and stop blackmailing the world with global food security. The ministry said that France is stepping up efforts to reduce food security risks that threaten the most vulnerable populations around the world.

We will remind that the "grain agreement" was concluded in Istanbul on July 22, 2022 with the participation of the UN, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia. The first ship with Ukrainian food left the port of Odessa on August 1. On November 17, 2022, the agreement was extended for another 120 days, until March 18, 2023. On March 18, the Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov, and the Minister of Agrarian Policy, Mykola Solsky, announced that the "grain agreement" would be extended for another 120 days. In turn, Russia announced the extension of the agreement for 60 days and put forward a number of conditions for its extension in the future. Among the requirements: connection of "Rosselkhozbank" to SWIFT; resumption of supply of agricultural machinery and service for it; removal of restrictions on insurance and access to ports; resumption of operation of the "Togliatti-Odesa" ammonia pipeline, lifting of sanctions on Russian companies in the field of production and transportation of agricultural products and fertilizers.