Hungary is asking Ankara to help in extending the Black Sea Grains Agreement, to widen the water transport of Ukrainian agricultural products.Continue reading
The ban on the import of certain agricultural products from Ukraine to neighboring countries should be extended after September 15, Minister of Agriculture István Nagy said at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Robert Telus in Warsaw on Thursday, reports Magyar Nemzet.
At a press conference following the bilateral talks, István Nagy praised the joint action of the five EU Member States: Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia, on the Ukrainian grain issue.
Thanks to the joint enforcement of our will, we are now able to protect our borders and our farmers not through national but through EU measures,” he underlined.
However, this is a temporary situation, which is currently in place until September 15, he added.
They agreed with Minister Robert Telus that this deadline is too short, as the maize harvest, for example, is still ongoing in many cases, so they would like to see an extension, highlighted Nagy. He also said that he had asked his Polish counterpart for a mandate to negotiate with Turkey on opening new maritime routes for grain exports in addition to the three existing Black Sea ports.
He said that the current solidarity routes were not fulfilling their role as the products were staying in countries neighboring Ukraine. In the past, we had 40-50 tons of grain left, now we are talking about 2.5 million, Nagy argued.
The aim, he highlighted, is to expand the traditional sea transport route, which now accounts for only 12 percent of Ukrainian products. This would reduce pressure on the land route and also reduce pressure on EU internal markets.
The Minister of Agriculture emphasized the importance of maintaining and expanding cooperation between the five EU Member States.
“We are committed to continue working together […] to find a common European solution to this problem, which is an important humanitarian and solidarity objective,” he stressed.
Telus considered the Hungarian initiative to extend the Black Sea route important, which he said Warsaw would support. He also underlined the need to develop land transport routes.
The Polish Minister praised the Hungarian side for its contribution to the creation of a coalition of five Member States on cereals. Without the action of this coalition, the European Commission (EC) would not see the problem at all, he noted.
The Polish Minister also stressed the importance of maintaining this alliance.
Together, we can fight not only for the issues that are important for our countries, but also for the future of Europe,”
he stressed.
He explained that after the end of the war, Ukraine’s EU integration process could continue, and with it the issue of Ukrainian products would resurface. “If we do not force the Commission today to come up with real instruments to deal with this, the problem will backfire,” he said.
The Polish Minister added that he and his Hungarian counterpart had agreed to organize a joint meeting with Ukrainian Agriculture and Food Minister Mikola Solsky to find common solutions to the problem of grain imports.
Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured Image via Pexels
