The “razoni” was to join Istanbul then Lebanon, with a cargo of 26,000 tonnes of cereals, under the agreement signed between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, on July 22.
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The ship and its 26,000 tonnes of corn left Odessa. Monday 1 e e August, the horns of mist announcing the exit of the razoni, navigating under flag of Sierra Leone, resounded around 9:30 am in the city center of the seaside resort deserted by its usual party. . This first departure from a merchant boat from a Ukrainian Black Sea port had been announced a few hours upstream by the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
The ship should reach Istanbul on August 2. He will be inspected under the authority of the joint coordination center, an body created in the wake of the agreement signed in Istanbul on July 22 between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, aimed at resuming exports Ukrainian and Russian agricultural, blocked since the start of the war. The RAZONI should then continue its journey to its final destination, Tripoli, in northern Lebanon.
The representatives of the Ukrainian authorities welcomed the departure of the ship. On his Twitter account, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba, spoke of “a day of relief for the world, in particular for our friends from the Middle East, Asia and Africa”, strongly dependent on the cereals of country, fourth world exporter. Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations (UN), “warmly” praised the event, while expressing the hope that resumption of exports “will bring stability and help essential to food security global “.
During a telephone interview with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Monday 1 er August, Emmanuel Macron praised “the departure of the port of Odessa from a first ship carrying Ukrainian cereals” and Indicated “that European efforts to export Ukrainian grains by land and river tracks will continue within the framework of solidarity corridors”, according to the Elysée.
Alexander Kubrakov, the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure, said that these shipments would also help the country’s economy, ravaged by the war. “Ports release will bring at least $ 1 billion [around 973 million euros] in foreign currency revenue to the economy and will allow the agricultural sector to plan next year,” said the minister. The Kremlin, through the voice of its spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov, judged in a “very positi [ve]” the departure of the boat, perceived as “a good way to test the effectiveness” of the Istanbul agreement . A similar agreement, signed simultaneously, guarantees to Moscow the export of its agricultural and fertilizer products, despite Western sanctions.
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