President Erdoğan: We are proud of brokering an initiative that will play a major role in the solution of the global food crisis

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the signing ceremony of the Grain Shipment Agreement, which was also attended by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, at Dolmabahçe Office in Istanbul.

“CONSENSUS HAS BEEN REACHED ON EVERY PROCESS FROM THE DEPARTURE TO THE MOVEMENT AND ARRIVAL TO THE PORT OF DESTINATION OF SHIPS SAFELY”

Noting that Türkiye is rightfully proud of brokering an initiative that will play a major role in the solution of the global food crisis that has been besetting the whole world for a long time, President Erdoğan said: “With the document agreed on today, we together will contribute to the prevention of famine that awaits billions of people across the world from Africa to the Middle East, America to Asia. Ensuring the global supply security of agricultural and food products is important in many aspects. With the step to be taken hereby, additional price hikes likely to be caused by the loss of fertility stemming from heatwaves and drought will have been averted. We also help limit food inflation which has already become a global problem. Of course, it has not been easy for us to reach this stage. We have conducted a busy and arduous process with the Ukrainian and Russian authorities as well as UN officials for the grain waiting at Ukraine’s silos to be exported via the Black Sea.”

Turkish authorities have been engaged in constant dialogue with their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts throughout the process and comprehensive consultations have been held with both countries in a bid to address their expectations and concerns regarding this delicate process, President Erdoğan noted.

Drawing attention to the intensive efforts exerted by the Turkish Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defense, President Erdoğan described as praiseworthy the contributions offered by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his team.

Offering his gratitude to his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts for their leadership, President Erdoğan said: “We will have opened a new lifeline from the Black Sea to many countries of the world with the ship traffic that is set to start in the days to come. Consensus has been reached on every process from the departure to the movement and arrival to the port of destination of ships safely. A joint coordination center to be set up in Istanbul will implement and monitor this extremely important plan. No doubt that international community’s support is of great importance for the successful implementation of the plan.”

“WE WANT THE CONFLICTS TO END IMMEDIATELY”

Even though the meeting held nearly four months ago in Istanbul had revived the hopes for the cessation of the war, the developments that unfolded following that meeting led to an escalation in conflicts, said the President. “We have been stressing since the beginning that there will be no winner in this war and that not only the two sides but the entire world will sustain harm. The conflicts raging on continuously for nearly five months and their global repercussions unfortunately confirm our predictions. The longer it takes to silence the guns, the greater the humanitarian cost as well as the financial cost. The war has negative impacts not only on the conflicting parties and the countries of the region but also on the entire humanity including those in the remotest corners of the world. However, we believe that this course of events is not our fate. We want these conflicts, which cost innocent lives, to end immediately.”

Underlining that there will be no loser in a just peace, President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: “I hope from the bottom of my heart that this joint step we are taking today with Russia and Ukraine constitutes a new turning point that would revive the hopes for peace. Regardless of which direction the developments on the ground take, the war will eventually end on the negotiating table. It will benefit the whole humanity if the friendly and peaceful atmosphere we have now established is converted into steps towards ending the war. We will continue to act with the awareness of the responsibility placed on us by our understanding of civilization. We will continue to fulfill our duties as a neighbor until peace prevails in our region. May Allah help us. I once again thank each one of you for your efforts.”