Ship inspections under Black Sea Grain Initiative resume - UN

NEW YORK, UN. April 19 (Interfax) - Ship inspections under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, suspended earlier in April, resumed in Istanbul on Wednesday, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) said.

"Vessel inspections by the [JCC] resumed today following a two-day period of negotiations," UN representative in the JCC Ismini Palla told Interfax.

"Following discussions facilitated by the United Nations and Turkey, the delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine agreed on new vessels to take part in the Initiative," Palla said.

Spokesman for the UN secretary general Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday that bulk carrier inspections had been on hold for two days.

The grain deal was signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022. The UN, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine signed two documents to open a grain corridor from three Ukrainian ports - Chernomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhny, and to enable Russian food and fertilizer exports.

The initiative was extended for 120 days in November 2022. After the initiative expired on March 18, it was extended for another 60 days.