Unblocking seaports is critical for the Ukrainian economy, as it will help raise tens of billions of dollars, reduce the budget deficit and keep the hryvnia stable. Therefore, the world community should put pressure on Russia on this issue. If Russia continues to block ports further, the answer should be mirrored – that is, all Russian ships should be inspected by an international commission with Ukrainians in their composition. This was stated in an interview by the president of “Ukrmetallurgprom” Oleksandr Kalenkov.
“The first most costly item (for industry – Ed.) is complicated logistics. And here, even the only solution is to unblock seaports. Yes, this is a difficult issue, and it is more in the competence of our international partners. But we remember the situation in November well last year, when the Russian Federation announced its withdrawal from the grain deal, but the “corridor” continued to work thanks to the principled position of Turkey. Obviously, it is possible to agree with our international partners on a certain formula that will expand the “grain initiative” to other export goods,” sure Kalenkov.
He emphasized that the benefit from such a decision is huge and obvious, both for the Ukrainian economy and for our international partners.
“According to preliminary calculations, the full restoration of maritime merchant shipping will ensure that Ukraine receives at least $20 billion a year. And our international partners are interested in Ukraine earning more foreign currency on its own. So that the hryvnia is stable and the Ukrainian budget deficit is reduced,” – Kalenkov emphasized.
He recalled that Ukraine is appealing to the International Maritime Organization (International Maritime Organization) at the UN with a call to force Russia to comply with the International Convention on Maritime Navigation and eventually unblock the seaports of Ukraine.
“In the event that the aggressor continues to brazenly ignore international norms, it would be logical to apply actions to Russian merchant ships that are symmetrical to those that Russian inspectors are taking today against Ukrainian food caravans – to stop and carefully check every barge from the aggressor country, because a large the likelihood that weapons or ammunition for the murder of peaceful Ukrainians can be hidden in outwardly and documented civilian cargo,” Kalenkov is convinced.
Let us recall that earlier the Ukrainian business community – the European Business Association, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine and the Association “Ukrainian Agribusiness Club” – appealed to the United Nations (UN) and Turkey with a call to unblock the Black Sea Grain Initiative and ensure free trade navigation in Black Sea region. In the event that the Russian Federation does not agree to unblock navigation, its ships should be subject to the same checks as the Ukrainian ones.
Source: Obozrevatel
I am a journalist who writes about economics and business. I have worked in the news industry for over 5 years, most recently as an author at Global Happenings. My work has focused on covering the economy news, and I have written extensively on topics such as unemployment rates, housing prices, and the financial crisis. I am also an avid reader and have been known to write about books that interest me.
