UNITED NATIONS, August 12. /TASS/. The Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Center said in a statement it had authorized two grain-transporting ships to leave Ukrainian ports on Friday.

The Star Laura bulk carrier will depart from the port of Yuzhny, carrying 60,150 tonnes of corn to be transported to the Iranian city of Bandar Imam Khomeini. The Sormovskiy 121 bulk carrier will leave the port of Chernomorsk with 3,050 tonnes of wheat on board destined for Turkey’s Tekirdag.

Also, the JCC has tentatively approved the passage of two bulk carriers, Efe and Sara, towards Odessa, after they are inspected in the Marmara Sea.

A package of documents aimed at resolving the issue of food and fertilizer supplies to global markets was signed in Istanbul on July 22. Under a Russia-UN memorandum, the United Nations will engage in efforts to lift anti-Russian restrictions preventing the export of agricultural products and fertilizers. Another document creates a mechanism to export grain from Ukraine-controlled Black Sea ports. The deal inked between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN provides for the establishment of a four-party coordination center whose representatives will inspect grain ships in order to prevent arms smuggling and false flag operations. The Joint Grain Export Coordination Center was launched in Istanbul on July 27.