Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that the safe corridor in the Black Sea would begin operations in the coming days. Erdogan expressed his happiness for his country's contribution to the Ukrainian grain shipping agreement, which alleviated the hunger crisis threatening billions of people. This was stated during a speech at the signing ceremony of the "Document of the Safe Grain and Food Shipping Initiative from Ukrainian Ports" at the presidential office at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The Turkish President said, "We are celebrating the launch of an initiative that will play a key role in resolving the food crisis that has occupied the world for a long time." He called on all parties to contribute to averting the hunger threat looming over billions of people in Africa, America, the Middle East, and Asia. He emphasized the importance of the agreement for global food security at a time when the planet is experiencing heatwaves, droughts, and declines in food production, along with surges in food prices. He described the pre-agreement phase as "challenging," during which he communicated with Russian and Ukrainian authorities and personally engaged with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.
