0
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a UN-brokered deal aimed at supplying markets with food and fertilizer amid global shortages and rising prices, exacerbated by the Ukraine war, was extended on Saturday, the day it was due to expire.
The announcement was made in a Note to Correspondents, released by the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson’s office on Saturday, which emphasized that the Initiative allows for the “facilitation of the safe navigation for the exports of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from designated Ukrainian seaports.”
The UN did not specify the length of the renewal. The length of the extension of the pact had been a sticking point in the renewal process with Russia wanting 60 days and Ukraine wanting 120 days.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said in a tweet that the agreement had been extended for 120 days. However Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow had only agreed to a 60-day extension.
During the first two terms, some 25 million metric tonnes of grain and foodstuffs have been moved to 45 countries, helping to bring down global food prices and stabilizing the markets.
March 18, 2023/ 333 Staff.
