By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday hailed Türkiye for its key role in preventing a looming global food crisis by brokering a deal on Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports.
With the mediation of Türkiye and the UN, Kyiv and Moscow signed an agreement in Istanbul on Friday to resume Ukrainian grain shipments from Black Sea ports.
“Ukraine grain deal signed in Istanbul is a historic victory of diplomacy signifying that all crises can be averted through meaningful engagement,” Sharif said on Twitter.
“On this remarkable achievement I congratulate my brother President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and thank Türkiye for playing a key role in preventing (a) global food crisis.”
Under the deal, reached on a UN-led plan during talks in Istanbul, a coordination center will be established to carry out joint inspections at the entrances and exits of harbors, and to ensure the safety of the routes.
Internationally praised for its mediator role, Türkiye has coordinated with Moscow and Kyiv to open a corridor from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa to restart shipments stuck due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fifth month.