Turkey Supports UN Plan To Resume Ukrainian Wheat Exports By Sea

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JAKARTA - Turkey supports the United Nations (UN) plan to ease the global food crisis by restarting Ukraine's wheat exports by sea.

Calling the plan "reasonable", Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the process required more talks with Russia and Ukraine to ensure the safety of the ship.

He believes the world should work together to open safe passages for Ukrainian agricultural exports and that Turkey views Russia's demands to lift restrictions on its agricultural exports as "very legitimate".

"Various ideas have been issued for the export of Ukrainian wheat to the market and the latest one is the UN plan (including) a mechanism that can be made between the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey," Cavusoglu said after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Ankara. , Wednesday, June 8th.

"We see it as a reasonable plan. Of course both Ukraine and Russia have to accept it," Cavusoglu said.

His meeting with Lavrov, among others, discussed the desire for renegotiation between Moscow and Kiev for a possible ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Lavrov said the onus was on Ukraine to solve the grain export problem by freeing its ports on the Black Sea from mines.

"We declare every day that we are ready to guarantee the safety of ships leaving Ukrainian ports and heading for (Turkish waters), we are ready to do that in cooperation with our Turkish partners," he said after talks with Cavusoglu.

Lavrov said the main problem was that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy "unequivocally refused" to resolve the issue of the mine-infested port.

On the other hand, Ukraine said it needed "effective security guarantees" before it could start shipping and voiced concern that Russia could use a potential corridor to move in the southern port of Odesa.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 halted Ukrainian grain exports from ports on the Black Sea, threatening a global food crisis.

The United Nations called on both sides, as well as maritime neighbor and NATO member Turkey, to agree on a safe sea corridor for the shipping of Ukrainian grain.

Any deal could involve a Turkish naval escort for tankers leaving Odesa and other Ukrainian ports -- currently blockaded by the Russian navy -- and onward to the Turkish strait and global markets.

Turkey, which has good relations with Ukraine and Russia, previously said it was ready to take up a role in an Istanbul-based "observation mechanism" if an agreement was reached.

Turkey has NATO's second-largest army and a substantial navy, but the head of Ukraine's grain traders' union said on Wednesday that Ankara was not strong enough to act as guarantor.