ANKARA
Türkiye’s foreign minister on Tuesday said Russia’s war in Ukraine has exposed the fragility of the food distribution system.
“The war in Ukraine tops the challenges we face today,” said Mevlut Cavusoglu at the Türkiye-Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan trilateral meeting for the ministers of foreign affairs, trade and transport.
The war reminds us all of “the importance of sustainable and safe transportation lines,” Cavusoglu said at the meeting held in the Uzbek capital Tashkent.
“It showed us how important it is to diversify routes and sources of energy. The war also revealed the fragility of the global system on food and energy security,” he added.
Many least developed countries are facing a hunger crisis due to the war, the foreign minister said.
Citing the Türkiye-brokered deal between Russia and Ukraine, Cavusoglu said “on the day the agreement was signed, there was a 5% decrease in the global grain prices.”
Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed the deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports – Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny – for grain that has been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its sixth month.
The deal came after a general agreement was reached between the parties on a UN-led plan during talks in Istanbul on July 13 to form a coordination center to carry out joint inspections at the entrance and exit of the harbors and to ensure the safety of the routes.
After departing from the Ukrainian port of Odesa, the first grain-loaded ship will anchor off the coast of Istanbul on Tuesday for a joint inspection before setting off for Lebanon, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.
Loaded with corn, the Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship Razoni is on course for its final destination of the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon.
Cavusoglu also noted all regional developments unfolding and affecting many, the military and political rivalry among the global powers caused “a new Cold War environment.”
