Ukraine and Russia are preparing to sign the agreement today in Istanbul.
THE Ukraine and Russia are preparing to sign today in Istanbul an agreement that will allow the export of Ukrainian grain which are blocked in the Black Sea ports.
The agreementwhich was the subject of two months of negotiation and will be signed in a few hours at Dolmabahçe Palace in the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, predict:
– The establishment of a coordination and control center based in Istanbul.
The center will be attended by representatives of the three sides, one Ukrainian, one Russian, one Turkish, as well as a representative of the United Nations and their teams.
It will be tasked with drawing up the Black Sea vessel rotation schedule.
According to experts involved in the negotiations, it will take another three to four weeks to complete the preparations and start its operation.
– Carrying out inspections of ships upon their departure from Ukrainian ports and upon their arrival in Turkey.
The inspection of the ships that will transport the cargoes of grain was a requirement of Moscow that wanted to exclude the parallel transfer of weapons to Ukraine.
For practical reasons, the inspections will not take place at sea, a possibility that had been considered, but in Turkey, most likely in Istanbul, which has two important commercial ports, Haydarpasa, at the entrance to the Bosphorus, and Ambarli, on the Sea of ​​Marmara.
Inspections will be made by representatives of the four sides during disembarkation and disembarkation.
-Safe navigation corridors
Russians and Ukrainians pledge to respect the shipping lanes that will cross the Black Sea and be excluded from any military activity.
Under the agreement, if demining is needed, it will have to be done by a “third country” – other than the three involved – which has not been defined.
When leaving Ukraine, the ships will be escorted by Ukrainian (presumably warships) vessels, paving the way to the exit from Ukrainian territorial waters.
-Four-month renewable power
The agreement will be valid for four months and will be automatically renewed. If 20 to 25 tons of grain are currently blocked in the silos of Ukrainian ports, with a transfer rate of 8 tons per month, four months will be enough to transfer all the stocks and empty the silos.
-Memorandum on Russian grains and fertilizers
A memorandum accompanying the agreement signed by the UN and Russia would guarantee that Western sanctions against Moscow would not affect grain and fertilizer directly or indirectly.
This provision is a condition sine qua non for the signing of the agreement by Moscow.
RES-EMP
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