The President makes video address to Grain from Ukraine international conference
Determined, collective efforts of the global community are needed to tackle the growing food insecurity President Radev said today at the international conference to launch the "Grain from Ukraine" humanitarian programme. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, HoSG of the EU and other countries, as well as representatives of international organisations took part in the forum in person or via videoconferencing.
In his video statement, the Bulgarian head of State noted the negative impacts on global food security in the wake of Russia's war against Ukraine: limited agricultural production, disrupted and hindered food supply chains and trade, shortages and steep price hikes of key foodstuffs and fertilisers worldwide.
Food supply is a collective responsibility of the countries and the global community, and meeting the urgent needs of those most affected must go hand in hand with the search for sustainable long-term solutions, Radev added. The head of State highlighted the efforts of the caretaker cabinet, which in recent months has managed to secure the transportation of more than two hundred thousand tons of grain from Ukraine across the Danube. Bulgaria remains strongly committed to continuing this transport activity, the President stressed.
Bulgaria hails the UN-backed initiative to facilitate the export of Ukrainian agricultural produce across the Black Sea, as well as the "Grain from Ukraine" initiative launched today, which aim to mitigate the effects of the food crisis on the world's most vulnerable and affected countries. It is crucial to maintain Ukraine's role as a key contributor to global food security, President Radev stressed.
The Head of State also stressed that as a friend and partner of Ukraine, which is home to a significant Bulgarian ethnic community, Bulgaria will continue to support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and its right to develop as a free and independent state.
The conferees adopted a Joint Declaration.