NATO, UN chiefs thanks Turkey after 1st grain ship departs Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked Turkey as they welcomed the news of the first ship carrying grain departing from Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odessa

“I welcome the first shipment of Ukrainian grain from Odessa under the UN-brokered deal. I thank our ally Turkey for its pivotal role,” Stoltenberg tweeted.

“NATO allies strongly support the full implementation of the deal to ease the global food crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine,” he added.

Meanwhile, Guterres also thanked Turkey for its efforts and leadership.

Meanwhile, the European Union also welcomed the first shipment, saying that it is the “first step towards mitigating the global food crisis.”

“We look forward to the implementation of the whole deal and resumption of Ukrainian exports to the customers all around the world,” EU foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano said.

Turkey, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports – Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny – to export grain that has been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its sixth month.

To oversee Ukrainian grain exports, the joint coordination center in Istanbul was officially opened Wednesday and is comprised of representatives of Turkey, the U.N., Russia and Ukraine to enable the safe transportation by merchant ships of commercial foodstuffs and fertilizers from the three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.