A quadrilateral meeting was held today in Istanbul to discuss the future of the Black Sea Initiative with senior level officials from the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Nations.
 
Speaking at the meeting, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, congratulated the parties on facilitating the safe export of over 30 million metric tonnes of grain and foodstuffs from Ukraine since the beginning of the Initiative. He reiterated the importance of the Initiative for global food security and also recognized the important contribution of food and fertilizer exports from the Russian Federation in this regard. 

The meeting discussed the recent proposals by the United Nations, namely the resumption of the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline, the longer extension of the deal, improvements at the Joint Coordination Centre for stable operations and exports, as well as other issues raised by the parties.
 
The parties presented their views and agreed to engage with those elements going forward. Mr. Griffiths stressed that the United Nations will continue to work closely with all sides to achieve the continuation and full implementation of the Initiative, in pursuit of their broader shared commitment to addressing global food insecurity.

For further questions, please email Ismini Palla at palla@un.org