Washington D.C./15.08.23/Turan: The United States said on Monday it is concerned that Russia’s military may expand its targeting of Ukrainian grain facilities to include attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"Russia has publicly announced that all ships proceeding to Ukrainian ports in Black Sea waters will be considered as potential carriers of military cargo. This is, in our view, an unacceptable escalation that again demonstrates Moscow’s responsibility for grain not reaching the places where it needs to go," State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told TURAN's correspondent during a daily briefing.
"We’re continuing to monitor this situation carefully," Patel said.
Patel's comments came as Ukraine condemned Moscow after a Russian vessel fired warning shots and boarded a Turkish-owned cargo vessel in the Black Sea. Russia claimed it stopped the Sukru Okan to ensure it was not carrying "prohibited goods".
According to Patel, since Russia’s termination of its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Ukraine has reported that Russia has attacked 26 port infrastructure facilities and destroyed over 220,000 tons of grain.
"Russia should rejoin the Black Sea Grain Initiative immediately. It is something that we know works," Patel concluded. "It worked to the tune of more than 32 million tons of grain, and it was instrumental in stabilizing global prices as well as a key factor in ensuring that grain gets to the places it needs to go."
Alex Raufoglu
Politics
-
On January 23, the Baku Court of Appeal considered the complaint of Meydan TV journalist Natig Javadli against the refusal to transfer him to house arrest.
-
On January 23, the Deputy Commander of the Azerbaijani Ground Forces, Ilgar Latifov, met with a Pakistani delegation headed by the Director General of Military Operations, Abdullah Kashif. The parties discussed the state and prospects for the development of military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, as well as the importance of increasing the intensity of joint exercises.
-
The announcement of 2025 as the "Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty" in Azerbaijan has sparked rumors and speculation about the government's plans to hold a constitutional referendum this year. Today's statement in the Milli Majlis by the head of the parliamentary committee on human rights and concurrently the director of the Center for Humanitarian Studies, Zahid Oruj, confirmed that these expectations are not groundless.
-
As part of the peace process with Azerbaijan, Armenia has proposed solutions to all agenda issues, stated Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of Armenia's Security Council, on January 23. "We are not asking for peace, we are offering peaceful solutions to all existing issues. For the two unresolved points, we have sent proposals and are waiting for a response from the Azerbaijani side. We hope that we will find solutions," Grigoryan said, according to Armenian media. Meanwhile, the press service of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Turan that "negotiations on the text of the peace agreement are ongoing."
Leave a review