UPDATE - Istanbul grain deal one of UN's greatest achievements: Turkish president

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT; ADDS DETAILS

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – The Istanbul deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports has been one of the UN’s greatest achievements in recent years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

“As a result of our intense efforts with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, we have ensured that Ukrainian grain reaches the world via the Black Sea,” Erdogan said in his address at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“This agreement, which is of critical importance in maintaining global grain supplies, is one of the greatest achievements of the UN in recent years.”

Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to restart grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February.

A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.

Since the first vessel sailed under the deal on Aug. 1, more than 160 ships have carried over 3 million tons of agricultural products through the grain corridor.

Erdogan emphasized that Türkiye will continue its efforts to end the war with an agreement “based on Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence.”

“Together, we need to find a reasonable, fair and viable diplomatic solution that will give both sides an honorable exit from the crisis,” he said.

He called on the international community to “sincerely support” Türkiye’s efforts for a lasting peace between Moscow and Kyiv.

“It is imperative that we structure the UN as an organization that can generate solutions for a fairer world order, and where common will is embodied on behalf of all humanity,” Erdogan said. ​​​​​​​

- ‘Greece turning Aegean Sea into graveyard of refugees’

The Turkish president called out Greece for its “persecution” of migrants in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.

“While we are struggling to prevent the deaths of more babies like Aylan (Kurdi), Greece is turning the Aegean into a graveyard of refugees with its unlawful and reckless pushbacks,” said Erdogan.

The refugee crisis cannot be solved by placing innocent people seeking a better future in concentration camps or leaving them on boats to die, he added.

“It is high time for Europe and the United Nations to put an end to these atrocities that are tantamount to crimes against humanity,” he said.

Ankara and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice of pushing asylum seekers back into Turkish waters and denying them entry, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.

“We expect Greece to shun its politics of provocations and heed our calls for cooperation,” Erdogan asserted.

He also urged the international community to make efforts to end the oppression of Turkish Cypriots, and to officially recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus “as soon as possible.”

In addition to its inhumane pushbacks of irregular migrants, Greece also pursues “discriminatory and oppressive policies” against the Muslim Turkish minority, he added.

Türkiye hopes that Greece will stop these problematic actions and that international organizations, particularly the EU, will stop turning a blind eye to its “inhuman and unlawful practices,” Erdogan stressed.​​​​​​​