Croatia offers its ports for the export of Ukrainian grains through the Solidarity Lanes and is currently expanding their capacities, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman said in Toledo, Spain, on Thursday.

European foreign ministers have gathered in an informal Gymnich format in Toledo where they were joined by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Grlic Radman said that at the meeting he would emphasise Croatia's contribution to the solidarity corridors between the EU and Ukraine.

“We must do more to bring Ukrainian grain to countries facing food insecurity, especially in Africa,” the minister pointed out.

“Croatia offers its ports here, primarily the ports of Rijeka, Split, Ploče and, of course, Vukovar on the Danube. We are currently working on expanding our capacities”, the Croatian minister added.

Through the solidarity corridors, launched in May last year, more than 44.4 million tonnes of grain, oilseeds and related products were exported from Ukraine until June, according to the website of the European Commission, which is about 60 percent since the beginning of the war.

The corridors helped Ukraine to export more than 36 million tons of other products such as ores, iron and steel, soil and wood, which brought it about €33 billion in earnings.

Grlic Radman announced that at the meeting he will also speak about the international conference on demining that Croatia is organising in Zagreb on October 11 and 12.

“Large parts of Ukrainian territory are infested with mines. The sooner they are cleaned up, the sooner Ukraine will return to its economic activity,” he emphasised.

The minister will also mention Croatia's new package of military aid to Ukraine, stressing that Croatia will “continue to help in accordance with Ukraine's needs and its capabilities.” The new aid package will amount to €30 million, which will increase the total Croatian aid since the beginning of the war to €190 million.

In Toledo, the ministers will also discuss the consequences of the coup in Niger, as well as the general approach to Africa after Wednesday's military coup in Gabon.

Grlic Radman met with his Spanish colleague Jose Manuel Albares a day earlier, expressing his satisfaction with the intensification of the political dialogue between the two countries, given the frequent bilateral visits at the highest levels.

Informal meetings of the EU foreign ministers are held twice a year and take place in the member state that presides over the Council of the European Union, currently Spain. The Gymnich format is named after a  castle in Germany where the first such meeting was held in 1974.