US, UK hail Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts for grain exports
Diplomatic missions of the US and the UK have separately hailed Türkiye for diplomacy to broker deal over grain stuck for months due to ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The diplomatic missions of the US and the UK in Türkiye separately hailed Ankara for efforts to resume export of Ukrainian grain stuck for months due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The first grain-laden ship to leave Ukraine since the conflict with Russia began on February 24 continues to sail to Lebanon after Wednesday’s inspection by a team from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul.
“We welcome the arrival of the cargo ship Razoni in Istanbul today as a vital step towards mitigating the global food security crisis. We applaud Türkiye for its diplomacy to ensure safe passage of grain from Ukraine to global markets,” the US consulate general in Istanbul said on Twitter.
The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying over 26,500 tons of corn, anchored off the Turkish coast near the Black Sea entrance of the Istanbul Strait on Tuesday night for joint inspections. It departed from Ukraine’s port of Odesa on Monday under a historic deal brokered by Ankara last month.
The inspections lasted over an hour, and after getting a security clearance in Istanbul, the ship passed through the Turkish Straits en route to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon.
