Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly supervised the loading of the grain.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ANKARA — President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said the first ship has loaded grain since Russia launched its war on February 24. He himself directly supervised the loading of Ukrainian grain onto a ship in the port of Chornomorsk on Friday (7/29/2022).

“The first ship, the first ship has been loaded since the beginning of the war. It’s a Turkish ship. It shows that the port has started to work,” Zelenskyy said. Anadolu Agency.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine remains the guarantor of global food security. He pointed out that unlocking Ukrainian grain exports will avert food shortages, as well as famine and political unrest in countries that need food.

According to Zelenskyy, grain exports would begin with the departure of several ships loaded but unable to sail due to the start of the war. “Our camp is fully prepared. We send all the signals to our partners, the United Nations and Turkey, and our military guarantees the security situation. The Minister of Infrastructure is in direct contact with the parties. Turkey and the United Nations, we are waiting for a signal from them that we can start,” he said.

The ambassadors of the United States, Britain, Italy, Canada, Germany, Turkey as well as representatives of the European Union and the United Nations were among those who accompanied Zelensky on the first shipment . Sharing photos of the port, the Turkish Embassy in Kyiv said the success of the historic agreement reached in Istanbul to guarantee grain exports from Ukrainian ports would be important for the whole world.

“Today, as Turkiye, with the key role we played in reaching an agreement, we visited the ports of Chornomorsk and Odessa with the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine [Oleksandr] Kubrakov, UN and diplomatic representatives. We were received by President Zelenskyy,” the Turkish Embassy said in a statement.

The Turkish embassy said the ships would bring hope to resolve the food crisis, not just grain. In line with the spirit of the Istanbul Agreement, Turkey continues to work for the successful implementation of the agreement.

Turkey, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine have signed an agreement to reopen three Ukrainian ports, namely Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. This opening concerns a shipment of grain that has been blocked for months due to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.

To oversee Ukraine’s grain exports, a joint coordination center in Istanbul was officially opened on Wednesday (27/7/2022). The team is made up of representatives from Turkey, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine to enable the safe transport of the deployment of merchant ships loaded with commercial foodstuffs and fertilizers from three of Ukraine’s main ports on the Black Sea.