UN Confirms Extension Of Black Sea Grain Deal

UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Mar, 2023 ) :A United Nations spokesperson confirmed on Saturday the extension of a deal allowing exports of grain, related foodstuffs and fertilizers from designated Ukrainian seaports.

"The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed in Istanbul on 22 July 2022, has been extended," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement.

On July 22, 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with T�rkiye and the United Nations on grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict.

The deal, initially in effect for 120 days, was extended in mid-November 2022 for another 120 days to March 18.

"We express our gratitude to the government of T�rkiye for the diplomatic and operational support to the Black Sea Grain Initiative," Dujarric said in the statement.

During the first two terms of the initiative, some 25 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs have been moved to 45 countries, helping to bring down global food prices and stabilizing the markets, he said.