The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterressupported this Friday in the port of Odessa (southern Ukraine) the agreement that allows the export of cereals under the auspices of the organization and urged that it continue and be expanded.
“In less than a month, 25 ships have set sail from Odessa and other Ukrainian ports loaded with cereals and other foods,” said Guterres, who said the initiative has so far allowed a total of 600,000 tons to be transported.
(Also read: Ukraine, Turkey and the UN advocate demilitarizing Zaporizhia)
“Wheat, corn, sunflower oil, soybeans. But each ship is also a ship of hope,” said Guterres about the initiative sponsored by the UN with the participation of Turkey and both Ukraine and Russia.
The UN Secretary General explained that the agreement is a hope for Ukrainian farmers, “who are finally rewarded for their harvest”, and for those who guide the ships of the international community, “who know that it is possible again navigate the Black Sea safely and efficiently”.
But he still regretted that the Ukrainian port is still underutilized.
Each ship is also a ship of hope
“It is very sad to see how the great capacity of this great port is not fully used. I am sad because the potential that this port, that this city has for your country and your region, is not being fulfilled,” he added.
(Also: UN chief arrives in Ukraine to meet with Zelensky and Erdogan)
“I hope you can come back soon and see how all the terminals are working and that the city is full of life,” Guterres added, stressing in a statement that it is important to ensure safe access for both Ukrainians and Russians to world markets through despite the obvious difficulties that remain to be overcome.
He called the agreement involving Ukraine and Russia, two countries at war, unprecedented, adding that more progress is needed “on many fronts.”
“Receiving food and fertilizer from Ukraine and Russia is important for the markets in terms of product availability and prices. We are protecting access to Russian food and fertilizer supplies that are not subject to sanctions. It is important that the government and the private sector bring them to the markets,” Guterres recalled.
The UN secretary general appealed to rich countries to also open “their wallets and their hearts” because, he said, “after all, the movement of cereals does not mean much to countries that cannot afford them.”
“Lower prices in world food markets don’t mean much if those prices aren’t reflected in local food markets,” Guterres said, summing up: “A country can’t feed itself if it doesn’t have resources. The time has come for a generous and massive support so that developing countries can buy food from this and other ports. And so that people can buy it.”
(You can read: NATO demands ‘urgent’ inspection of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia)
“Developing countries need access to finance now. They need debt relief now, they need resources to invest in their people, now,” he reiterated.
The UN Secretary General was accompanied in Odessa of the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, who stated: “Today, ten ships are ready to receive cargo in the three ports of Odessa. We hope that they can receive another 40 requests for ships to arrive here. So I am happy that the initiative is working”.
On the situation in Zaporizhia
Guterres addressed the situation in the Zaporizhia nuclear power planton the same day that both Ukraine and Russia mentioned the possibility of an incident at the facility, which has been occupied by Russian troops since early March but continues to supply electricity to both the Ukrainian and Russian-occupied areas in the south of Ukraine.
“If the territory of the plant had been demilitarized, the matter of the attack and the accusations by the Ukrainian and Russian sides could have been resolved. The electricity from the plant is Ukrainian, the people of Ukraine need it, especially during the winter, and that must be respectedGuterres said.
The UN secretary general visited Lviv on Thursday, where he met with the president of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, and Turkey, Recep Erdogan.
(Keep reading: Juan Manuel Santos and Ban Ki-Moon visit kyiv and ask to help Ukraine)
The electricity from the plant is Ukrainian, the people of Ukraine need it
The three agreed to continue coordinating the implementation of the grain export initiative, discussed the situation at the Zaporizhia plant and the treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
After that meeting, the Ukrainian president showed himself against considering participating in peace negotiations to resolve the conflict that began last February with the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops and assured that it is not realistic to proceed with these talks while the Russian Army occupies Ukraine .
EFE
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