ISLAMABAD: PM Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Saturday congratulated President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan after Russia and Ukraine signed a landmark deal with the United Nations and Turkiye on resuming grain supply to avert a global food crisis that has already affected millions across the globe.
PM Shehbaz, on his Twitter handle. said that Ukraine grain deal inked in Istanbul was a historic victory of diplomacy, signifying that all crises could be averted through meaningful engagement.
Yesterday, Russian defence minister and Ukrainian infrastructure minister signed agreements separately with the UN and Turkish officials on the reopening of the Black Sea routes.
Ukraine grain deal inked in Istanbul is a historic victory of diplomacy signifying that all crises can be averted through meaningful engagement. On this remarkable achievement, I congratulate my brother @RTErdogan & thank Turkiye for its key role in preventing global food crisis.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 23, 2022
Both Ukraine and Russia are among the largest exporters of grain in the world. In the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on February 24, Black Sea supply routes were blocked which saw Ukrainian exports dropping to one-sixth of the pre-war level, thus spiraling grain prices and causing pressure on different world economies.
The deal will pave way for the export of about five million metric tonnes of grain each month.
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The deal would avert increasing threats of hunger and food inflation by injecting more wheat, sunflower oil, fertiliser and other products into the global market.
In a series of tweets, President Erdogan said, “With the agreement reached today, we have contributed to averting the hunger that awaits billions of people, from Africa to the Middle East, from America to Asia.
“May this initiative, which is essential for solving the food crisis, be auspicious for our countries and humanity.
“We carried out an intense and arduous process with the Ukrainian, Russian and United Nations officials for the export of the grain stored in Ukrainian warehouses over the Black Sea.
“We held extensive discussions to address the expectations and concerns of both countries.”
He said finally, an agreement was reached on all processes from the ships’ departure until their safe arrival at the designated port.
With the ship traffic beginning in the coming days, we would have opened a new breathing tube from the Black Sea to many world countries, he maintained.
Erdogan said the execution and supervision of the crucial plan would be handled by the joint coordination centre to be established in Istanbul. Undoubtedly, the success of the plan depended greatly on the international community’s support, he added.
He said additional price hikes owing to productivity losses from the heatwave and drought would be avoided as a result of the step. “We also help control food inflation, which has become a global problem,” he said.
“That this war will be a loss for the parties involved and for the entire world is what we have been saying since the beginning.
“We wish these conflicts, which cost the lives of the innocent, to end immediately. We all know that in a just peace, there will be no losses,” he said.
