The first ship with Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa

Today, the process of fulfilling the agreements on lifting the naval blockade and safe passage began, the first ship with a cargo of corn left the port in Odessa and headed for Istanbul.

The grain carrier will arrive at the intermediate destination tomorrow, Tuesday, at approximately 15:00, where it will be subject to a joint inspection, said Hulussi Akar, Turkish Defense Minister.

UN chief António Guterres “welcomes” today’s departure of the first ship with Ukrainian grain – according to the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov, the ship is loaded with 26,000 tons of corn. The UN statement says:

“The Secretary General is hopeful that this will be the first of many merchant ships under the signed agreement, and that it will bring the stability and assistance needed for global food security, especially in the most fragile humanitarian context.”

Akar told Turkish state news agency Anadolu that the Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni loaded with corn left the Ukrainian port of Odessa for Lebanon. As part of the agreement, a joint coordination center was created in Istanbul, which included employees of the UN, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said today’s resumption of Ukrainian grain exports, for the first time since the Russian invasion in February, is “a relief for the world,” tweeting:

“A day of relief for the whole world, especially for our friends in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, when the first Ukrainian grain leaves Odessa after months of the Russian blockade. Ukraine has always been and will remain a reliable partner if Russia honors its end of the bargain.”

Earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced:

“The Razoni ship has sailed from the port of Odessa, heading to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon. It is expected in Istanbul on August 2. It will continue its course to its destination after the checks to be carried out in Istanbul.”

Agreement, signed on July 22 in Istanbul between representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN, allows Ukrainian exports to be resumed under international supervision. A similar agreement, signed at the same time, guarantees Moscow the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers, despite sanctions imposed by the West.

Under the terms of the agreement, ships and their cargo will be inspected in Istanbul under the auspices of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which began its work last Wednesday. cnn.gr.

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