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Greece is prepared to offer an alternative route for Ukrainian wheat and other grains through its northern ports of Thessaloniki and Alexandroupoli, as announced by the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Gerapetritis, during an informal EU Foreign Affairs Council held in Kyiv, The Gaze reported.
This information has been reported by Ekathimerini.
The Ukrainian grain export agreement, mediated by Turkey, has faltered, though diplomats prefer to characterize it as “frozen.” Given Ukraine’s vital role in global grain supply, much diplomatic effort has been dedicated to seeking alternatives.
Greece, along with the United Kingdom, which plays a crucial role in decisions concerning Ukraine, participated in negotiations in Brussels regarding the export of Ukrainian grain. The devised plan involves transporting the produce by rail through Romania and Bulgaria to Thessaloniki and Alexandroupoli.
Commercial ships owned by Greece will play a pivotal role in grain transportation, similar to when grain exports through the Black Sea were feasible.
However, despite the capacity of the two Greek ports to handle the necessary ships for grain transport, there are limitations in the capacity of the railway network in northern Greece. At the very least, rail tracks need repair following recent floods in the Thessaly region.
The implementation of the plan may also serve as an impetus for the necessary modernization of the Greek railway, including the line from Alexandroupoli to Ormenio, the last station before Bulgaria, which is also near the Turkish border.
Gerapetritis informed his EU colleagues that Greece is prepared to contribute to resolving the grain export issue and underscored the “significant consequences” of Russia unilaterally withdrawing from the “grain agreement” and the associated threats, especially for Global South countries.
Alternative routes, apart from Greece’s proposal, are being pushed forward by Poland in collaboration with Lithuania. However, the Polish port of Gdańsk is a much more likely export point than Lithuania’s Klaipeda.
The Adriatic option is based on using Croatia’s Rijeka port, to which Ukrainian grain could be transported via Hungary and Slovakia.
