Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations plan to hold a meeting in Istanbul in the coming days to discuss the details of a roadmap to unblock vessels loaded with grain, the Anadolu news agency said.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the UN had suggested creating a contact group that would comprise Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN to discuss ways to release vessels loaded with grain stuck at Ukrainian ports.
"Since the beginning of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, Turkey has been making multilateral efforts to resolve the conflict through diplomacy, while taking an active position in eliminating the global food shortage. According to information received from diplomatic sources, Turkey has been conducting diplomatic contacts for some time in order to form a mechanism to ensure the safe delivery of grain from Ukraine to world markets. Following the negotiations of the Turkish side with representatives from the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the UN, a roadmap has been prepared that will ensure the functionality of the ‘grain corridor’ under the auspices of the world organisation", the agency said.
According to Anadolu, 20 million tonnes of grain are expected to be released into international markets once a centre for cooperation between Russia and Ukraine is set up in Istanbul with Turkish mediation.
Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin stressed during the meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths in Moscow on Thursday that a humanitarian corridor through which ships can leave Ukrainian ports has remained open since March. The minister added that the Russian Armed Forces were ready to ensure their safety on routes to international waters. Fomin also emphasised that the Ukrainian side was responsible for demining the Black Sea ports under its control and clearing the fairways.
Amid the continuing Russian special military operation in Ukraine, many countries and international organisations have been voicing concerns over the blockade of Ukraine's sea ports, where tens of thousands of tonnes of grain have been stuck in warehouses while vessels are unable to operate due to anti-Russian sanctions and also because of mines Ukrainian forces have planted close to the ports.
Russia has repeatedly refuted accusations that it has been deliberately blocking sea ports in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier this week that the West kept silent about the fact that Russian ships supposed to deliver grain abroad were sanctioned and could neither be insured nor accepted in European ports.