China has urged for the prompt resumption of grain and fertilizer exports from Russia and Ukraine following the suspension of a significant agreement earlier this week.
During a UN Security Council meeting, Geng Shuang, China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, emphasized the global food security implications of the Black Sea grain deal, as reported by CGTN, a Chinese broadcaster.
China expressed its hope for the concerned parties to collaborate with the relevant UN agencies and resume the export of grain and fertilizer from Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible, according to a Chinese official.
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths acknowledged the disappointment felt by many people regarding Russia's decision to withdraw from the grain deal, which was facilitated by the UN and Turkey last year. This agreement ensured the safe transportation of over 32 million tons of Ukrainian grain.
He underlined that for as many as 362 million people, the agreement's suspension was "a matter of threat to their future and the future of their children and their families."
"They're not sad, they're angry. They're worried, they're concerned. Some will go hungry, some will starve, many may die as a result of these decisions," he added.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for restoration of the deal, and also called on Western countries to consider Russia's demands.
The accord was signed in Istanbul in July last year by Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye and the UN, creating a safe corridor through the Black Sea for exports from three Ukrainian ports halted since the war began in February 2022.
It helped rein in spiraling prices and ease a global food crisis by restoring the flow of wheat, sunflower oil, fertilizer and other products from Ukraine, one of the largest grain exporters in the world.
Moscow this week refused to extend the agreement beyond July 17, saying parts related to its demands have "not been implemented so far," referring to the removal of obstacles to its own fertilizer exports, including the inclusion of the state-owned Russian Agricultural Bank in the SWIFT international payment system.
News ID : 2230