RUSSIA and Ukraine are poised to sign an agreement which will allow both countries to resume grain exports through the Black Sea. According to media reports, the agreement, brokered by Turkey, will be signed on Friday, July 22 by representatives of both Russia and Ukraine in the presence of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

This is indeed a welcome development, especially when seen against the background of the rising costs of fuel and grain since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of grain and a resumption of exports could see a significant lowering of the prices of grain on the world market.

The current food crisis resulted initially from a combination of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, but has been further compounded by the war in Ukraine. Guyana has not been spared the punishing effects of rising prices of grain and fuel triggered by the war in Ukraine.

One can only hope that this development could set the stage for an eventual end of the war, which has been going on for close to six months with severe consequences for both countries and for that matter humanity as a whole. Regrettably, efforts at a diplomatic solution to the war have so far failed to yield any tangible results.

The agreement reached on the resumption of grain exports offers a glimmer of hope that a negotiated solution to the war in Ukraine is possible.

Yours sincerely,

Hydar Ally