GENEVA, July 23. /TASS/. The agreement on Ukrainian grain exports, signed by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations in Istanbul on Friday, will help to save many lives all over the world, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Director General Robert Mardini said.
"A deal that allows grain to leave Black Sea ports is nothing short of life-saving for people across the world who are struggling to feed their families. Nowhere are the consequences felt harder than in communities already impacted by armed conflict and climate shocks," he said in a statement on Friday.
According to the organization, its market monitoring over the past six months has seen the price of food staples rise by 187% in Sudan, by 86% in Syria, by 60% in Yemen and by 54% in Ethiopia as compared to the same time period last year.
A package of documents geared to resolve the problem of food and fertilizer supplies on global markets was signed on July 22 in Istanbul. Under the Russia-UN memorandum, the United Nations undertakes to work toward lifting anti-Russian restrictions hampering exports of agricultural products and fertilizers. Another document envisages a mechanism of exporting grain from Ukraine-controlled Black Sea ports. An agreement between Russia, Turkey and the United Nations provides for the establishment of a quadrilateral coordination center to inspect ships carrying grain to prevent weapons smuggling and rule out provocations.