G20 parliament speakers hail Türkiye's role in Black Sea grain deal

The 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit has hailed the role of Türkiye in brokering the Black Sea grain deal last year, allowing the transportation of more than 30.5 million tonnes of grain since August 1, 2022.

“We appreciate the efforts of Türkiye and UN-brokered Istanbul agreements … and the initiative on the safe transportation of grain and foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports," said a joint statement issued on Friday after a meeting of the G20 parliament speakers in New Delhi.

The statement also called for their "full, timely and effective implementation to ensure the immediate and unimpeded deliveries of grain, foodstuffs, and fertilisers/inputs from the Russian Federation and Ukraine”.

“This is necessary to meet the demand in developing and least developed countries, particularly those in Africa,” it added.

On the Ukraine war, the statement said: “All states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state. The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible."

Global trust crisis

Earlier in the day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for overcoming the “global trust crisis” and moving forward with “human-centric thinking.”

Modi inaugurated the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) in India’s capital New Delhi under the broader framework of India’s G20 Presidency with the theme of “Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, One Future.”

Addressing the gathering, the premier said: “A world full of conflict and confrontation is in no one’s interest, and a divided world cannot provide solutions to the major challenges facing humanity.”

Canadian Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagne stayed away from the summit amid an India-Canada diplomatic row.