Guterres emotional in Odessa. ″Each ship is also a symbol of hope″

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday he was delighted to visit the Ukrainian port, from which it is already possible to see ships departing with grain for export.

“It’s very exciting for me to be here in Odessa today and see wheat being loaded onto a ship,” Guterres said. However, he expressed his sadness at “looking at this beautiful harbor and seeing the terminals practically empty”.

António Guterres therefore hopes that he will “soon” be able to return to the port of Odessa “and see a lively port with activity, with all terminals in full activity”.

He said it is particularly important to be in this Ukrainian port on World Humanitarian Day and deplored the months-long closure of the port of Odessa because of the war. But thanks to diplomatic efforts by the UN and Turkey, the situation changed with “an unprecedented agreement” that allowed ships carrying grains and food to depart from Ukrainian ports.

“In less than a month, 25 ships left Odessa and other Ukrainian ports, loaded with grain and other foodstuffs, and more are on their way, loading over 600 tons of foodstuffs. — grains, corn, sunflower oil,” he said.

Guterres said that “each ship is also a symbol of hope for Ukrainian farmers, finally rewarded for their work,” the UN Secretary-General emphasized. “Hope for sailors who know they can safely navigate the Black Sea. And above all, hope for the world’s most vulnerable people and countries,” Guterres said.

The United Nations Secretary-General took the opportunity from the port of Odessa to call on the world’s richest countries to “open their wallets and their hearts” to improve the flow and distribution of grains to the most need. . “Developing countries now need access to finance, they now need debt relief and resources to invest in their people,” Guterres said.

“We all need to do more to ensure full global access to Ukrainian products, as well as Russian fertilizers and food.” still asked.

Despite the “unprecedented” agreement, which allowed the release of Ukraine’s grain exports, there is still “a long way to go” on many fronts, Guterres warned. What you see in Odessa is “just the most visible part of the solution”.

He argued that it is important that governments and the private sector can also contribute to bringing Russian food and fertilizers, which are not subject to sanctions, to the market.

Guterres welcomed the efforts of all parties to implement this agreement, but said it is necessary to contribute more to global food security and to ensure that food products reach the world’s most vulnerable populations.

He also spoke of the need to reach a peace agreement, “in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law”.

Odessa is much more than a port, it is a “symbol of what the world can do by working together for the common good”.

During a visit to the port of Odessa, Antonio Guterres urged Russia not to disconnect the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant from the Ukrainian power grid, at a time when Moscow and Kiev exchange allegations of bombing nuclear facilities.

“It is clear that electricity from Zaporizhzhya is Ukrainian electricity… This principle must be fully respected,” Guterres said. Energoatom, the operator of Ukraine’s power plants, expressed fears that Moscow, which has controlled the plant since March, would disconnect Zaporizhzhya from the power grid.

with AFP

News updated at 13:50