Jakarta: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the departure of the M/V Razoni, the first commercial ship leaving Ukraine’s port of Odesa since the beginning of Russia's military aggression.
The ship is bound for the port of Tripoli, Lebanon, carrying a cargo of 26,527 tonnes of corn, and is the first vessel to depart under the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed in Istanbul on July 22.
"Ensuring that existing grain and foodstuffs can move to global markets is a humanitarian imperative," Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said in a statement on Monday.
The first departure is a collective achievement of the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) set up in Istanbul under the auspices of the UN, and comprised of representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and Turkiye.
Since then, the Parties with the assistance of the UN have been working tirelessly to implement the agreements reached in that Initiative.
"The Secretary-General salutes their efforts and he is grateful to Turkiye for its leadership. The Secretary-General is pleased that, thanks to the tireless efforts, general oversight, and coordination of the JCC, the ship departed safely from the port of Odessa," the spokesman stated.
"The Secretary-General hopes that this will be the first of many commercial ships moving in accordance with the Initiative signed, and that this will bring much-needed stability and relief to global food security especially in the most fragile humanitarian contexts," the spokesman added.
In line with the humanitarian spirit of the initiative, the World Food Programme (WFP) is also planning to purchase, load and ship an initial 30,000 metric tons of wheat out of Ukraine on a UN-chartered vessel.
WFP will have more details in the coming days.
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