ANKARA, July 6. /TASS/. The Turkish authorities may impound grain carried by the Russian-flagged dry cargo ship Zhibek Zholy if the grain is proven to have been stolen, Cumhuriyet reported on Wednesday citing a Turkish presidential adviser.
In this case, "the grain will be confiscated and offered for sale in the world markets on behalf of Ukraine," the Turkish newspaper quoted Ilnur Cevik as saying. The Kremlin "knows the rules of the game very well and if they are trying to smuggle out something that does not belong to them, they know very well that it will be confiscated," he added.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar announced on Sunday that at Kiev’s request Turkey’s customs detained a Russian-flagged dry cargo vessel allegedly shipping Ukrainian grain.
Turkish officials have not yet made any official comments about the ship. Local media reported, citing officials in the port of Karasu, that Turkey was currently looking into the grain’s origins. The silence preferred in these circumstances by Ankara who has held a balanced stance on the Ukrainian issue shows how sensitive the situation is, especially in light of the efforts being made to establish a grain corridor for Ukrainian agriculture supplies to global markets, Cumhuriyet said.
On Tuesday, the Zhibek Zholy crew refuted reports alleging that the vessel was detained, saying it was anchored near the port of Karasu due to unfavorable weather. A surveyor has reportedly inspected the vessel for cargo quality.
As of this morning, the vessel is anchored off Turkey’s Black Sea port of Karasu.