UPDATE WITH MORE REMARKS BY UN SECRETARY GENERAL
By Beyza Binnur Donmez and Busra Nur Cakmak
ANKARA (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday welcomed the agreement reached by parties to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
"I welcome the agreement by all parties to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate the safe navigation of export of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizers from Ukraine," Guterres said in a tweet.
"The initiative demonstrates the importance of discreet diplomacy in finding multilateral solutions," he added.
Guterres also said the initiative would never happened without the “generosity and commitment” of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Türkiye.
“As the quad meeting (Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine, UN) agreed on the renewal of the BSGI, I want to express my deep appreciation to @RTErdogan & Türkiye. Without their generosity & commitment this initiative would never have been born. Istanbul remains the centre of a remarkable diplomatic achievement,” he said on Twitter.
On July 22, Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which had been paused in February due to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The parties were negotiating a possible extension and expansion beyond its Nov. 19 deadline.
More than 10 million tons of grain have been exported from Ukraine since Aug. 1, according to the UN.