UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations backed Turkiye and Ukraine on Thursday by calling for a 120-day rollover of an agreement allowing the safe export of grain from several Ukrainian Black Sea ports after Russia said it would only extend the pact for 60 days.
The pact is due to expire on Saturday. It was brokered with Russia and Ukraine by the United Nations and Turkiye in July - and renewed in November - to combat a global food crisis that was fuelled in part by Moscow's February 24, 2022 war on neighbouring Ukraine and blockade of its Black Sea grain exports.
"For us, the text in the agreement is clear and it calls for a 120-day rollover," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said when asked about remarks by Turkiye.
Turkiye said on Wednesday that it would continue talks to extend the deal for 120 days rather than 60 days. Ukraine has also said the agreement should be renewed for 120 days.
"The deal is being extended for 60 days," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Thursday, when asked to comment on Dujarric's remarks.
The difference in the Russian and UN interpretation of the duration of the deal "may simply be a display of (the UN's) incompetence," she added.
Senior UN and Russian officials met in Geneva on Monday to discuss extending the grain deal.
To help persuade Russia to allow Ukraine to resume its Black Sea grain exports last year, a three-year deal was also struck in July in which the United Nations agreed to help facilitate Russian food and fertiliser exports.
Western powers have hit Russia with tough sanctions over its war on Ukraine. While its food and fertiliser exports are not under sanctions, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance industries are a barrier to such shipments.
"Meaningful progress has been made but it is true that some obstacles remain, notably with regard to payment systems. Our efforts to overcome those obstacles will continue unabated," Dujarric said on Tuesday.
Ukraine has so far exported nearly 25 million tonnes of mainly corn and wheat under the deal, according to the United Nations. The top primary destinations for shipments have been China, Italy, Spain, Turkiye and the Netherlands.
When asked on Thursday about Russia's proposal for a 60-day extension, China called for the deal to be implemented in a balanced and comprehensive manner. Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also said China would like to strengthen communication with all parties and enhance global food security. - Reuters
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