Ukraine and Russia are preparing to sign an agreement in Istanbul this Friday (22), which will allow the export of Ukrainian grains, which have been closed to the Black Sea ports due to the war and are indispensable for world markets.
This is all we know about the content of this agreement, which was based on tough negotiations two months ago and was planned to be signed in the presence of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the Dolmabahçe Palace at 10:30 Brazilian time.
Coordination and control center in Istanbul
A joint command and control center will be established in Turkey’s capital, Istanbul, to monitor operations and resolve disputes.
It will be carried out by delegates from interested parties: a Ukrainian, a Russian, a Turkish and a UN representative and will be supported by their own teams. They will be responsible for creating the calendar of ship rotations in the Black Sea.
According to experts involved in the negotiations, there are still three to four weeks to finalize details and possibly put the center into operation after mid-August.
Departure and arrival controls in Turkey
Inspection of grain carriers is a requirement by Moscow, which wants to make sure that weapons are not delivered to Ukraine at the same time.
These checks will not be carried out at sea as planned for practical reasons, but will be held in Turkey, probably at the entrance of the Bosphorus (Haydarpasa) and the Marmara Sea, in Istanbul, which has two important trade ports. (Ambarli).
Inspections, led by representatives of the four parties, will be carried out at the departure and arrival of the ships.
Safe navigation corridors
The Russians and Ukrainians agree to respect the navigational corridors of the Black Sea, free from any military activity.
According to the agreement, if demining is necessary, it should be carried out by “another country”, other than the three countries concerned, but not yet specified.
After leaving Ukraine, the ships will be accompanied by Ukrainian ships (possibly military) that make way for exit into Ukrainian international waters.
four months renewable
The contract will be signed for four months and automatically renewed. There are currently between 20 and 25 million tons of grain in silos at Ukrainian ports and around 8 million tons of grain are expected to be discharged per month, so this time should be enough to unload the stock.
Its counterpart for Russian cereals and fertilizers
A memorandum of understanding should be attached to this agreement signed by the United Nations and Russia, which guarantees that Western sanctions against Moscow will not directly or indirectly affect grain and fertilizers. This is the Russian demand, which has become an indispensable condition for the conclusion of the agreement.
source: Noticias
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