Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, on Wednesday spoke with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu by phone.
During the call, the ministers talked about several international and regional issues of common concern, and Sheikh Abdullah applauded Turkey’s efforts to mediate an agreement on Ukrainian grain exports.
A UN-brokered deal to allow the export of Ukrainian grain and fertiliser via the Black Sea was signed in Istanbul earlier this month.
Sheikh Abdullah described the agreement as a key step that affirms the importance of co-operation to address international challenges, namely the global food crisis.
Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, global food and fertiliser prices have mounted as exports were hindered by the conflict. The UN said 47 million people could face severe food scarcity because of the obstruction of the vital shipping lane, while alternative land and river routes proved only a partial substitute.
With the new agreement, international aid agencies and diplomats expect grain to start fully flowing by the middle of August, but even with the delay grain prices fell on Friday.
