The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Pakistan on Thursday called for the restoration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative to ensure global food security, days after Russia broke the agreement.
The leaders stated this at a press conference after the meeting of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba with his Pakistani counterpart Bilaval Bhutto Zardari during his first visit to the Islamic country.
Kuleba also met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to a government statement citing the Pakistani leader’s statement that the conflict in Ukraine has had a significant global impact, hurting the economies of many countries.
The head of the Kiev diplomacy briefed Sharif on the situation in Ukraine, which was captured by Russia on February 24, 2022, noting that the two countries have always maintained warm and long-standing relations based on cooperation and friendship, with the common goal of promoting global peace and regional stability.
Pakistan has been a regular importer of wheat from Kyiv in recent years, up to a million tons in 2021, according to Kuleba.
The July 2022 Grains Agreement between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN allowed for the export of almost 33 million tons, some of which is destined for countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices have pushed more people below the poverty line.
Russia announced on Monday it was suspending the deal, and on Wednesday Russian attacks on Ukraine’s southern port areas destroyed some of its critical infrastructure, as well as 60,000 tons of grain destined for China.
Kuleba said the Russian attacks mean “60,000 tons of grain will never reach people who want to buy bread at reasonable prices,” warning that it will continue to rise.
The official said his country has made some progress in improving land corridors for grain exports, but sea remains the best route, criticizing Moscow for wanting to replace its products in the global market.
“Russia is increasing its exports by making more money from its war machine,” Kuleba said.
The Russian authorities have signaled that they will return to the protocol only if their conditions are met, namely the trade in their own agricultural products, which, they emphasize, is hindered by Western sanctions.
Russia’s demands also include the reintegration of its agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank into the SWIFT international banking system, the lifting of sanctions on spare parts for agricultural machinery, the unblocking of transport logistics and insurance, the unfreezing of assets, and the resumption of operation of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline that exploded on June 5.
Kuleba thanked Pakistan for providing humanitarian assistance to his country when it was most needed and at a time when Pakistan itself was facing its own economic problems. “But that’s what friends do, they help each other in times of need,” he said.
Both ministers stressed their desire to continue with the Black Sea deal, and Butto-Zardari said he would contact the UN, Turkey and Russia to discuss the matter.
“The conflict in Ukraine has also brought hardships to developing countries and the Global South, mainly due to fuel, food and fertilizer shortages. Pakistan is no exception. Therefore, we are interested in promoting peace and reconciliation,” Bhutto-Zardari said.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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