UN Planning to Hold Meeting Between Grain Deal Signatories in Istanbul – Secretary-General

Addis Ababa, May 9, 2023 (FBC) – The United Nations is planning to organize a meeting between the sides to the grain deal in Istanbul to, among other things, suggest the ways of tackling issues reported by Russia, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday.

“We are planning to prepare a meeting between all sides [Russia, Ukraine, the UN, Turkey] in Istanbul, and we do everything possible to better tackle the Russian issues,” Guterres told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

The UN chief added that there were indirect obstacles to the grain initiative that UN has been trying to solve, according to Sputnik.

Last week, a source familiar with the situation told Sputnik that the transportation of Russian ammonia through Ukrainian ports and mediation of a Turkish bank to pay for Russian agricultural products would be among the topics of the meeting’s agenda.

The grain deal was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey between Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to facilitate exports of agricultural products from Black Sea ports during conflict.

The package agreement also includes a memorandum of understanding between Russia and the UN to unblock Russian grain and fertilizer exports via the Black Sea, which, according to Moscow, has not been implemented due to Western sanctions.

The deal has since been extended twice, the latest time in March and is due to expire on May 18.