Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has announced the official start of the work of the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, which will be monitoring the safe export of the grain from Ukraine via an established maritime route. Akar stressed that all of the center's work will be coordinated by UN representatives.
At the moment, the center is engaged in preparations and the planning of the first grain deliveries from the Ukrainian ports.
"The existence of a grain problem created by the impossibility of exporting grain from Ukraine poses a serious threat to global security due to food shortages and [resulting] illegal migration, primarily in the Middle East and Africa. In this regard, it became necessary to create a sea corridor for safe delivery to countries in need in a short time," Akar stated.
The minister said that at the moment, no efforts are required to remove mines deployed in the Black Sea to allow for the safe passage of ships carrying grain. Akar said that some 25 million tons of grain are to be exported from Ukraine via three ports: Chernomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhny.
The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul for monitoring of maritime grain exports from Ukraine
© Sputnik
The Turkish Defense Ministry stated that the "grain deal", which prompted the creation of the Joint Center, will be extended as long as it's needed. The baseline agreement is set to last for 120 days. The ministry further suggested that this deal could be used as a model for resolving the energy crisis.
The grain deal was signed by Russia and Ukraine with the mediation of Turkey and the UN on July 22 to resolve concerns over a possible global famine caused by the cessation of grain exports from the two countries, which are among the world's top suppliers. The exports will be monitored from the center, which is located in the National Defense University in Istanbul, Turkey, and staffed with representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN.
The agreement was singed in the wake of the Western countries' unfounded accusations that Russia was preventing grain exports from Ukraine. Moscow vehemently denied these claims, pointing out that Kiev itself had mined the maritime routes, making them unsafe for freighters carrying the grain. Furthermore, Russia pointed at the cases of Ukraine setting their own reservoirs on fire, as was the case at the Port of Mariupol.