By KYIV. Nov 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – After the announcement of the withdrawal of Russia from it, the Grain Agreement continues to operate, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said.
"In fact [the grain agreement] works, since the agreement was signed between Ukraine and the UN and Turkey on the one hand and the aggressor country and the UN and Turkey on the other hand. In this case, in my opinion, the Solomon decision was made, when only intermediaries, that is, Turkey and the UN, carry out the inspection of ships, and this decision was made due to the fact that since the end of September, the Russian side has actually slowed down, and then blocked the inspection of ships and now more than 170 vessels are awaiting inspection," Bodnar said on the air of the national telethon on Monday.
The ambassador said traditionally four parties gave consent to the passage of ships, but now the mediators, the UN and Turkey, suggested that they would inspect the ships, to which Ukraine agreed, and Russia was simply informed about it.
"That is, now no one asks them, but they try to talk with them about bringing them back to the negotiating table. Most likely, they will bargain for something for themselves, including the export of grain and mineral fertilizers from the territory of Russia in accordance with the memorandum, which was signed on the same day that the grain agreement was signed," Bodnar said.
The ambassador said there is a physical threat that Russia may take some measures to stop, return ships, prevent their passage, but, according to him, "then it will be a direct direct violation of the agreement itself with the corresponding consequences and the need to take certain measures the international community."
