UN chief 'extremely grateful' for Turkish efforts in Black Sea: Spokesman

WASHINGTON

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "grateful" for Turkish efforts to resolve a grain export deadlock from Ukraine and clear mines in the Black Sea.

"(The) Secretary-General is extremely grateful for the support that Turkey is giving in addressing the situation in the Black Sea and supporting the Secretary General's own efforts," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

Earlier in the day, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu addressed obstacles ahead of vessels carrying grains from the war zone and emphasized Turkiye's efforts to aid confidence-building measures between Russia and Ukraine.

Noting one of the obstacles as sea mines planted in the Odesa region by Ukraine, Cavusoglu said the other obstacle is sanctions imposed on Russia regarding insurance and the issue of not providing services to international ports.

Cavusoglu said the mines could technically be swept within one to two weeks and added that a control mechanism must be established to address the concerns of Russia and Ukraine.

He said Turkiye and the UN are working on the matter, adding that "The UN has a proposal. Creating a four-way contact group consisting of the UN, Türkiye, Russia and Ukraine. We said 'yes' to this in principle. An idea to hold a meeting on a technical level came up. A full consensus has not yet been reached on this issue."