Bulgaria applauds extension of Black Sea grain deal
Bulgaria applauds the extension of the Black Sea grain deal, the Foreign Ministry said in a message on Twitter on the night of November 17.
Deutsche Welle reported that Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Thursday that the Black Sea grain deal between Ukraine and Russia will be extended for another 120 days.
“We commend the UN and Türkiye for their efforts in negotiating the renewal with Ukraine and Russia,” Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said.
Further collective efforts are needed to rebuild sustainable food systems, it said.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement that the EU warmly welcomes the renewal of the UN Black Sea Grain initiative.
It remains vital to continue to drive global food prices down and ensuring food security worldwide, especially in the most vulnerable countries, Borrell said.
The EU underlines the efforts of the United Nations and Türkiye to facilitate the continuation of the initiative, he said.
The UN-brokered agreement has, together with land routes through the EU under the bloc’s “Solidarity Lanes” initiative, helped stabilise and ease pressure on global food prices by facilitating the export of grain and agricultural products to global markets, Borrell said.
Both initiatives have enabled the export of more than 25 million tons of grain and other agricultural products and have contributed to a drop in food price over the last months, he said.
“Food should never be used as a weapon of war.
“It is Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its deliberate targeting of Ukrainian agricultural facilities and export routes which exacerbated the food price spike,” Borrell said.
“While Russia is engaging in campaigns to manipulate information and spread propaganda, we have always been clear that our sanctions do not target the trade in agricultural and food products, including grain and fertiliser, between Russia and third countries,” he said.
(Photo: Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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