By KYIV. July 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – A proposal on the transportation of Ukrainian agricultural products through the territorial Black Sea waters of Bulgaria and Romania has not been discussed at the official level yet, Ukraine proposes to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative in the trilateral format with Turkey and the UN, Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar has said.
“Let’s clarify the understanding of routes. There is an agreed ‘corridor’ within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. It was approved and both the mediators and the aggressor country agreed on it. And no one cancelled the ‘grain corridor’ itself. A proposal to use the coastal countries Romania and Bulgaria – I voiced such an assumption as one of alternative ideas – has not been discussed at the official level,” he told a press briefing at the Media Center Ukraine-Ukrinform on Thursday.
The diplomat recalled that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed Turkey and the UN to extend the Grain Initiative in the trilateral format.
“As long as we did not withdraw from the [Istanbul] agreement, we have obligations to the UN and Turkey. And the entire approved mechanism can operate in the trilateral format,” he said.
Bodnar also underlined that Russia “was not a constructive participant” of the process and its role in fact comes down to not attacking the ports and ships.
“On the other hand, the mediators – Turkey and the UN – have the possibility to fully inspect vessels and confirm that there are neither weapons or any other military hardware or products not envisaged by the agreement on board of these vessels. That is actually the essence of our proposal. But, of course, this does not rule out a possibility of developing alternative formats and alternative opportunities,” he said.
As reported, the ambassador said on the air of the national telethon that a new route for the transportation of Ukraine’s agricultural products could pass through the territorial waters of Bulgaria and Romania. This could help to minimize risks after Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
