Four more ships have left Ukrainian ports under the July 22 Istanbul grain export deal, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said.

Two ships departed from the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, while others from Odesa and Yuzhny ports, the ministry said on Twitter on Sunday.

It added that a ship coming from Ukraine and five others going to Ukraine will also be inspected in the north of Istanbul. 

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal last month to resume grain exports from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Yuzhny, Chornomorsk, and Odesa, which were halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN has been set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.

UN chief thanks Türkiye

On Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked Türkiye for its "pivotal role" in the signing of the recent grain export deal, officially known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

"I thank you even more for your pivotal role in the Black Sea Grain Initiative," said Guterres on Saturday.

His remarks came during a joint press conference with Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar at the JCC overseeing Ukrainian grain exports in Istanbul.

Source: AA