Turkey-Ukrainian Grain Export

Shotlist

Istanbul, Turkey – July 13, 2022 (Courtesy of Turkish Defence Ministry – No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of meeting in progress
2. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Hulusi Akar, Turkish Defence Minister:
“For example, several technical issues such as establishing a coordination center in Istanbul where representatives of all parties will be present, conducting joint controls at ports, and ensuring navigational safety on transfer routes [have been agreed upon].”
3. Various of meeting in progress
4. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Hulusi Akar, Turkish Defence Minister:
“Next week, Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet again in Turkey. The two sides will review all the details and sign official documents at the meeting.”
5. Meeting in progress

Istanbul, Turkey – July 13, 2022 (CCTV – No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of ships at sea

Storyline

Positive progress has been achieved on the stranded Ukrainian grain export at the first round of the discussions between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, which concluded in Istanbul on Wednesday.

The Turkish Defense Ministry announced that the meeting was constructive and all sides have reached an agreement on the basic principles and several technical issues on resuming exports of Ukrainian grains.

“For example, several technical issues such as establishing a coordination center in Istanbul where representatives of all parties will be present, conducting joint controls at ports, and ensuring navigational safety on transfer routes [have been agreed upon],” said Akar.

Akar said all sides have shown willingness to solve problems.

“Next week, Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet again in Turkey. The two sides will review all the details and sign official documents at the meeting,” said Ankar.

On the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed what he called “substantive progress” in ensuring the export of Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea.

Turkey, which controls maritime traffic to and from the Black Sea through its Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, has been playing a mediating role, seeking ways to establish a mechanism that will allow Ukraine to export its grains safely.

According to Turkish media reports, once an agreement is reached, the grain export corridor will be put into operation soon. If it goes smoothly, the export of 30 million to 35 million tons of grain is expected in the next six to eight months.