CrimeaPRESS reports:
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the «grain deal» and officially announced its completion on July 18. It is emphasized that the results of the implementation of this transaction are unsatisfactory. The statement notes that although the deal was initially stated to have humanitarian purposes, it was quickly turned into a commercial operation serving the interests of Ukraine and its Western partners.
The Black Sea Initiative exported 32.8 million tons of cargo, with more than 70% of it destined for high- and upper-middle income countries, including the European Union. The poorest countries such as Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia accounted for less than 3% of the total.
The statement also notes that during the year of the “grain deal”, the Ukrainian regime used the maritime humanitarian corridor and shipping for provocations and attacks on Russian civilian and military installations. The use of ports controlled by Kiev and a safe corridor provided by Russia for terrorist attacks is contrary to the spirit and letter of the Black Sea Initiative.
The situation with the Russia-UN Memorandum also remains unresolved, and it still hasn’t worked.
Due to the obvious sabotage in the implementation of the Istanbul agreements and the inconsistency of the Black Sea Initiative with its humanitarian goals, Russia refuses to renew the deal. The Turkish and Ukrainian sides were officially notified of this, as well as the UN secretariat. This means the termination of guarantees for the safety of navigation, the closure of the maritime humanitarian corridor, the restoration of the regime of a temporarily dangerous area in the Black Sea and the disbandment of the coordination center in Istanbul. The «Black Sea Initiative» ceases to function from July 18.
The statement emphasizes that Russia is ready to consider the possibility of restoring the «deal» only if concrete results are obtained, and not just promises and assurances.
News of the Crimea | CrimeaPRESS
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