As the war in Ukraine is having an adverse impact on fuel, food and fertilizers supply chains, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has announced an extension of a four-month old deal to ensure the export of grain and fertilizers from Ukraine through the Black Sea.
The announcement late Wednesday came days before the deal was set to expire on November 19. The same day India also called for extending the period of the deal.
Guterres said in a statement the United Nations is also “fully committed” to removing obstacles that have impeded the export of food and fertiliser from Russia, which is one of two agreements struck between the two countries and Turkey in July.
The deals signed in Istanbul are aimed to help bring down prices of food and fertiliser and avoid a global food crisis.
There was no immediate confirmation of the agreement from Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the extension of the grain deal a “key decision in the global fight against the food crisis.
India expressed hope that the UN-facilitated Black Sea grain and fertilizer package deal will be renewed in the coming days and will be fully implemented by all parties earnestly. The agreement on July 22 allowed grain shipments to resume from certain Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, leading to some 10 million tonnes in shipments and helping to reduce international prices.
“In so far as specific initiatives pertaining to issues like food grains and fertilizer shipments are concerned, we hope that the UN-facilitated Black Sea grain and fertilizer package deal will be renewed in the coming days and will be implemented by all parties earnestly in all its aspects,” India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said at the UN Security Council briefing on Ukraine.
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council that the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative remains “vital" to help avert a food crisis for millions of people. More than 10 million metric tonnes of foodstuffs have now been moved under the Initiative, reaching, or on the way to, some 40 countries.
Kamboj reiterated that India continues to remain concerned about the situation in Ukraine including the targeting of civilian infrastructure and the deaths of civilians.
Since the beginning of the conflict, India has consistently called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to the violence, she said.
She also said India hopes the international community will continue to respond positively to the call for humanitarian assistance.
India has so far dispatched 12 consignments of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and stands ready to do more.Underlining that India's approach to the Ukraine conflict will continue to be people-centric, Kamboj said India is providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to some of its neighbours in the Global South under economic distress.
