US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Coordinator Martin Griffiths, and the talks discussed global humanitarian needs and the Istanbul Grain Agreement.
The meeting at the State Department addressed “record high global humanitarian needs driven by a variety of issues, including conflict, climate change, and pandemics,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
“The secretary noted the urgent humanitarian needs in Ukraine stemming from Russia’s illegal war, including the need to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” Price said, referring to the U.N.-Turkey-brokered deal to get grain out of Ukrainian ports.
On July 22 in Istanbul, Turkey, the United Nations, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were suspended after the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in February.
The parties are currently negotiating a possible extension and expansion beyond the November 19 deadline to include Russian grain and fertilizer exports. The two interlocutors also discussed the crises in Afghanistan and Ethiopia, as well as the vital need to prevent a deadly famine in Somalia. “Secretary Blinken highlighted the United States’ leadership and commitment to providing humanitarian assistance worldwide,” Price said. , Anatolia Agency
