UN secretary general appoints permanent coordinator for Black Sea grain initiative

NEW YORK, UN. Aug 15 (Interfax) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Amir Mahmoud Abdulla of Sudan as the UN coordinator for the Black Sea grain initiative.

"Guterres announced today the appointment of Amir Mahmoud Abdulla of Sudan as United Nations Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative," the UN press service said.

Abdulla succeeds Frederick Kenney of the United States who served as the interim coordinator, it said.

He has over 30 years of experience in the areas of humanitarian response and management with the World Food Program (WFP) as well as specialized expertise in emergency operations, supply chain and security, the press service said.

The UN, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine signed two documents in Istanbul on July 22 to open a grain corridor from three Ukrainian ports, namely, Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny. The first ship carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn left Odesa on August 1.