Turkey's MoD confirms three Ukrainian grain cargo vessels bound for int'l market departed

Turkey on Friday confirmed the departure of three grain cargo vessels Navistar, Rojen and Polarnet from the Ukrainian ports carrying grain bound for the international market. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry's statement, all the vessels that sailed from the Black Sea will be inspected by representatives of the joint grain export coordination centre. The development is being hailed as historic since it is a sign that the deal brokered by Turkey and United Nations is working as the Ukrainian grain exports were blocked due to the ongoing Russian invasion.

A Turkish cargo vessel Polarnet is carrying an estimated 12,000 tonnes of corn, and nearly 13,000 tonnes has been loaded on the Malta-flagged vessel Rojen. The Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel Navistar meanwhile is carrying an estimated 33,000 tonnes of corn. All three ships are loaded with a total of 58,000 tons of corn. The Ukraine export will be used as animal feed. UN announced that the joint coordination centre overseeing the deal has already authorized the three ships as the operation expands. 

The departure of the three vessels was made possible after the first grain shipment left Ukraine earlier this week since the start of the war in February. It was anchored for inspection at the mouth of the Bosporus Strait in the Black Sea off the coast of Istanbul Wednesday morning. The three parties Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN officials investigate the shipment to ensure that the grain is in accordance with the agreement signed last month with Moscow. 

Turkey believes grain deal could lead to 'comprehensive ceasefire'

Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday maintained that the grain export deal signed between the two warring nations in Istanbul under the Black Sea Grain Initiative might end in a "comprehensive cease-fire" on both sides. Although, Ankara's minister affirmed that despite inking a very 'sustainable' 120-day grain deal between Russia and Ukraine, the hostilities are ripe between the two countries as invading Russian soldiers advance deeper with their offensive into Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown Kryvyi Rih.

Delivering a speech alongside his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah in Kuala Lumpur to reaffirm cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) country under Turkey's 2019 Asia Anew Initiative, Cavusoglu indicated prospects of 'favourable outcomes' during the course of the war. Negotiations to the grain deal may be extended if there are no objections made prior to the ending of the agreement, he confirmed.