Russia returns to Black Sea grain pact, exports to resume
Moscow, Aug 28 (EFE).- Russia has agreed to return to a vital Black Sea grain corridor after receiving guarantees from Ukraine on Wednesday, the defense ministry confirmed.
Moscow had halted its participation in the vital initiative following a drone attack against its Black Sea Fleet at the weekend, which it blamed on Ukraine.
The Russian defense ministry said in a statement quoted by the Tass news agency that it had received sufficient guarantees that Ukraine would not use the corridor or its Black Sea ports for military actions.
“It was possible to obtain the necessary written guarantees from Ukraine on the non-use of the humanitarian corridor and Ukrainian ports, identified in the interests of the export of agricultural products, for conducting military operations against the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.
The resumption of the grain corridor was also announced by Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a televised speech.
“The grain corridor will function like before,” he said after the Turkish and Russian defense ministers held talks.
The grain initiative was struck after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to remove Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian exports through the Black Sea and alleviate the global food crisis.
Ukraine is a world leading exporter of grain, sunflower seeds and oil.
Turkey, which controls the Bosphorus Strait linking the Black Sea with the Mediterranean, and the United Nations are signatories to the deal.
The coordination center for the grain initiative is based in Istanbul. EFE
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