BAHRAIN has welcomed a landmark deal by Russia and the Ukraine to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports.
The agreement, signed in the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is an important step that will contribute to providing food security for the affected countries from the war in Ukraine, and covering the shortage of grain and high prices around the world, said the Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement.
The ministry also commended the efforts of the UN and Turkey in reaching the agreement, stressing that negotiations and dialogue are the best ways to reach constructive solutions to contentious issues between the two countries, including a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement of the conflict to enhance security and stability in the European and global arenas.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed separate, identical deals with Guterres and Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar at a ceremony in Istanbul.
The accord crowned two months of talks brokered by the UN and Turkey. It will enable Ukraine – one of the world’s key breadbaskets – to export 22 million tonnes of grain and other agricultural products that have been stuck in Black Sea ports. Guterres called it “a beacon of hope” for millions of hungry people who have faced huge increases in food costs.
According to Red Cross Director-General Robert Mardini, over the past six months prices for food staples have risen 187 per cent in Sudan, 86pc in Syria, 60pc in Yemen and 54pc in Ethiopia.
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