The Ukrainian government has denounced on Monday that Russian authorities present in the Bosphorus Strait in the Turkish city of Istanbul are blocking searches and inspections of some vessels loaded with Ukrainian grain and agricultural products before they can leave the Black Sea.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, the Russian delegation present at the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul has stopped »unilaterally» searching Ukrainian vessels since the beginning of last week.
The blockade of such inspections has been increasing until this Monday no vessel has been registered, so that no vessel has left Black Sea waters, thus blocking the agreement between Moscow and Kiev for the export of agricultural products, which is about to expire and apparently far from being renewed.
»Since November 2022, the Russians have been sabotaging and delaying inspections under various pretexts, which has already reduced the volume of exports of Ukrainian agricultural products to world markets by 15-18 million tons,» the said Ministry has stressed in a publication on its official Facebook profile.
In the same vein, Ukrainian authorities have denounced that Russia does not argue specific criteria for leaving out certain vessels from the agreement. In fact, three ships, two of them bound for China, were recently banned from leaving the Black Sea despite already being loaded with agricultural products.
»Thus, the Russian side is trying to establish control over the amount of loaded fleets and the directions of their work, violating international rules and the provisions of the grain initiative. This is another attempt by Russia to dictate its policies to the world, endanger food security and use food as a weapon,» he concluded.
The grain deal, agreed in late July between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by Turkey and the United Nations, has been renewed several times, although the latest extension was agreed for only 60 days, half the usual period, as Moscow considers that the pact is not being fully complied with.
The Kremlin has denounced on several occasions that the aspects beneficial to Russia are not being complied with, and has warned that the agreement might not be renewed after mid-May, when the current extension expires.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
