Romanian – French agreement on Ukrainian cereals transit

Romania and France are helping Ukraine to export its cereals to international markets.

Bogdan Matei, 13.09.2022, 13:50

France and Romania, Ukraine’s neighbor, concluded an agreement to facilitate Kyiv’s grain exports. The document was signed in Paris by the French Transport Minister, Clément Beaune, and the Romanian Secretary of State Ionel Scrioşteanu, with the Romanian Transport Ministry, in the presence of the Ukrainian ambassador to France. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Paris, France hopes that Ukraine will once again reach the level of exports it had before the Russian troops invasion of the country, launched on February 24, upon the order of President Vladimir Putin. At that time, Kyiv could deliver six million tons of grain to international markets every month.

According to the agreement, France will support Romania to increase the flow of Ukrainian grain through the ports of Constanta, on the Black Sea, Galati, on the Danube, and through the Sulina Canal of the Danube Delta. The Romanian authorities will work with the French authorities for better equipping the land border points between Romania and Ukraine and for increasing the number of freight wagons that cross the border. A medium-term strategy targets the transport corridors that connect the two countries, including those that cross the Republic of Moldova, an enclave between Romania and Ukraine.

Here is the French Transport Minister Clément Beaune: The agreement with Romania will allow Ukraine to send more grain to Europe and to developing countries, especially those in the Mediterranean area, which are facing food problems. According to Mr. Putin only 3% of re-exported Ukrainian grain reaches developing countries. However, the amount is much bigger, over a third, which allows some countries like Egypt and others to survive, because their people depend on Ukrainian grain. We are proud that, thanks to a European action, we have almost managed to reach the level of grain export that Ukraine had before the war on land routes. Through the agreement with Romania, France will strengthen its support for the export of cereals by sea, rail and land to the countries that need them.

Ukraine’s ambassador to France, Vadim Omelcenko, thanked for what he called the concrete, useful and efficient support received by his country, support that significantly intensified after the joint visit of presidents Emmanuel Macron and Klaus Iohannis to Kyiv in July. He recalled that after Russia invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian grain exports were almost completely stopped, because the Black Sea ports were closed off by the Russian military fleet. As Vladimir Putin is an unpredictable character, the Europeans now fear that the agreement agreed upon in July, in Istanbul, under the aegis of the UN and with the mediation of Turkey, under which the Russians allowed the transport of wheat and corn through Ukrainian ports, could be in danger. (LS)