Turkey has sent Washington proposals for the safety of grain transportation through the Black Sea, which the American side is considering. This was stated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the meeting of G-20 foreign ministers in Atlanta.
“We are considering proposals on this issue that Turkey sent us a few weeks ago or maybe a week ago“, Rubio said. He added that many countries have expressed their readiness to help ensure safe shipping in the Black Sea, noting that India has also presented its own proposals.
The topic was discussed within the framework of talks on freedom of navigation, food security and the sustainability of global supply chains. The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta ended without a joint communique due to disagreements on a number of issues, including the war between Russia and Ukraine. Instead, Marco Rubio is set to issue a presidential statement summarizing the talks.
Ankara prepares plan for safe shipping
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on August 31 that Ankara had prepared a plan for the safe passage of grain cargoes through the Black Sea and was in contact with both Russia and Ukraine. Turkey has repeatedly expressed its readiness to help restore an agreement similar to the UN-brokered Grain Initiative.
The agreement, reached in July 2022, allowed the export of Ukrainian grain and other food products from Black Sea ports. Russia withdrew from it in 2023, saying that restrictions on Russian food and fertilizer exports had not been lifted.
On October 26, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov said that Moscow was considering various proposals for the security of grain shipments and was in talks with Turkey, but saw no prospects for restoring the previous deal.
Kiev is considering four proposals
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha reported in October that Kiev had received proposals from India, Turkey, Egypt and the United States. They focused on limited agreements to stop attacks on energy facilities and ports, preserve grain and energy exports, and protect merchant ships in the Black Sea.
Sibikha described the Indian plan as the most comprehensive. According to the descriptions of the proposal, it includes simultaneously protecting infrastructure, maintaining the movement of grain and energy cargoes, and ending attacks on commercial shipping. The details of the Turkish and Egyptian proposals have not been published in full.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also called in Atlanta for a quick ceasefire in the Black Sea, which would allow the safe passage of grain cargoes from Ukraine and Russia. So far, there has been no announcement of an agreement reached between Moscow and Kiev, nor a specific deadline for the proposals to be implemented.
Sources: apnews.com, marketscreener.com, aljazeera.com