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Safe grain carriage is task of coordination center — Turkey’s Defense Minister

The Center will register merchant vessels participating in grain export and perform their technical monitoring in interaction with countries participating in the grain deal and the UN, Hulusi Akar said

ANKARA, July 27. /TASS/. The task of the Joint Coordination Center established in Istanbul is to ensure safe carriage of grain and agricultural products from Ukraine, Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Wednesday.

"Five representatives of each of Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the UN, both military and civilian ones, will be present in the Center. Its task is to ensure safe export of grain and the like agricultural products from Ukrainian ports (Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny)," the Minister said. Operations of the Center will be coordinated by the UN, Akar added.

The Center will register merchant vessels participating in grain export and perform their technical monitoring in interaction with countries participating in the grain deal and the UN, the Minister said. Ships will be inspected during loading in Ukrainian ports and in Turkish ports, Akar added.

Turkey’s Defense Minister said that more than 25 mln tonnes of grain from Ukrainian ports were planned to be carried along the sea corridor as part of agreements reached in Istanbul.

"Over 25 mln tonnes of grain located in Ukrainian ports should be safely and, most importantly, as soon as practicable carried to global markets, and the need to create a safe marine corridor arose in this regard," the Minister said at the official opening ceremony of the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul.

Agreements within the framework of the "food deal" intended for 120 days can be prolonged by arrangement between the parties, Akar added.