Press Releases
Agreement among the United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia to resume grain export from Ukraine through the Black Sea
(Statement by Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa)
July 23, 2022
- On July 22, the United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to resume grain export from Ukraine through the Black Sea.
- Japan welcomes the agreement by the four parties on lifting a de facto blockade of the Ukrainian Black Sea ports in order to resume the worldwide export of grain. We commend the tireless efforts of the UN and in particular of UN Secretary- General Antonio Guterres, UNOCHA Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths and UNCTAD Under- Secretary-General Rebecca Grynspan. Japan also commends the efforts for mediation by Turkish President Erdoğan. Many issues still need to be clarified until the actual resumption of the grain export, but it is an important step towards overcoming the global food crisis.
- Japan will closely monitor whether the agreement will be steadily performed, and expect all parties involved to implement necessary further steps swiftly so that grain exports can start quickly. We also call on Russia to stop its unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine and to immediately allow for the safe and secure passage of grain exports from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
- Japan has been providing assistance to Ukraine through FAO to build and improve Ukraine’s grain storage capacity, and Food Aid for Africa and the Middle East which face food shortages, through international organizations such as WFP, bilateral cooperation and Japanese NGOs. We also support the EU’s “Solidarity Lanes” initiative to transport Ukrainian grain by land to EU ports for export.
- Japan will continue to contribute to supporting grain export from Ukraine and strengthening global food security through cooperation with G7 and the international community.