Bahrain welcomes landmark deal signed by Russia, Ukraine for grain exports

Agencies | Istanbul                                               

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain yesterday welcomed the landmark deal signed by Russia and Ukraine to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports, raising hopes that an international food crisis can be eased. The accord crowned two months of talks brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, a NATO member that controls the straits leading into the Black Sea.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry statement said the deal reflects the “keenness of Russia and Ukraine to meet the world’s food needs.” The statement also stressed that “negotiations and dialogue are the best way to reach constructive solutions for the issues between the two countries.”

Bahrain also called for a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement of the conflict to enhance security and stability in the European and global arenas. Speaking at the signing ceremony in Istanbul, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the deal opens the way to significant volumes of commercial food exports from three key Ukrainian ports – Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

“Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea. A beacon of hope..., possibility...and relief in a world that needs it more than ever,” Guterres told the gathering. But fighting raged on unabated in Ukraine’s east and, underlining the enmity and mistrust driving the worst conflict in Europe since World War Two, Russian and Ukrainian representatives declined to sit at the same table and avoided shaking hands at the ceremony.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, doused hopes that the accord might nudge the conflict nearer a resolution, signalling in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that Kyiv had little appetite for an early ceasefire.