UN Secretary-General António Guterres, while visiting the port of Odesa on Friday, called for unhindered access to global food and fertilizer markets from both Russia and Ukraine. The text of the Secretary General’s statement was distributed by the UN press service, writes TASS.
“Exporting even more food and fertilizer from Ukraine and Russia is critical to further calm markets and lower prices, ” Guterres said. “But let’s not forget that what we are seeing in Odessa is only the visible part of the solution. The other part, which is also important and which we defend, concerns unhindered access to the global markets for Russian food and fertilizers, which were not subject to sanctions. It is important that the authorities of all countries and the private sector cooperate in their return to the market.”
“Without fertilizer in 2022, there may not be enough food in 2023,” said the UN Secretary-General. “I am fully committed to these goals (the return of food from the Russian Federation and from Ukraine), but this will work if only all parties cooperate.”
Guterres added that more than 600.000 tons of food, including wheat, corn, sunflower oil, and soybeans, have already been exported from Ukrainian ports since the start of the grain export mechanism.
On Friday, the UN Secretary-General visited Odesa, where he got acquainted with the work of the port, from where food is exported, and also watched the loading of ships preparing to leave for Istanbul.