President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday mentioned he hoped that Russian chief Vladimir Putin would go to Türkiye in August, as Ankara works to revive a key deal that allowed Ukraine to export its grain by way of the Black Sea.
“There’s no precise date yet but my foreign minister and intelligence head are holding talks,” Erdoğan instructed reporters after Friday prayers at a mosque in Istanbul.
“I believe that this visit will take place in August,” he mentioned.
The remarks got here after Erdoğan’s workplace on Wednesday mentioned the 2 leaders had agreed on Putin’s go to. No timetable was offered however a senior Turkish official mentioned discussions between Ankara and Moscow are ongoing for a go to in late August.
Erdoğan final month mentioned the journey might happen as quickly as this month, throughout a joint press convention with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Kremlin on Thursday mentioned the time, place and date of the upcoming assembly between the 2 leaders can be coordinated by way of diplomatic channels.
Türkiye has positioned itself as an middleman within the Russia-Ukraine battle and Erdoğan was a key participant in brokering the now-collapsed Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022 alongside the United Nations. The deal allowed for the secure passage of Ukrainian grain shipments by way of the Black Sea.
Moscow withdrew from the accord on July 17, accusing the West of hampering its personal grain and fertilizer exports, and has since attacked Ukrainian agricultural and port infrastructure. It has mentioned that it was able to return to the deal as soon as an accompanying settlement regarding Russia was applied.
Erdoğan mentioned final month he hoped Putin’s deliberate go to might result in the restoration of the grain deal, and known as on Western international locations to contemplate Russia’s calls for.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba mentioned Thursday that Erdoğan was the one one that can persuade Russia to return to the initiative.
Moscow exited the deal complaining that the worldwide group had failed to make sure that Russia might additionally freely export its grain and fertilizer.
Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports will not be topic to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its army actions in Ukraine. But Moscow has mentioned restrictions on funds, logistics and insurance coverage have been a barrier to shipments.
In talks with Putin on Wednesday, Erdoğan emphasised the significance of avoiding steps that would jeopardize the resumption of the wartime accord that he described as a “bridge of peace,” the Presidency mentioned in an announcement.
He vowed Türkiye would press forward with “intensive efforts” and diplomacy to reestablish the grain deal. Erdoğan instructed Putin that the long-term deactivation of the initiative “will not benefit anyone” and that international locations in want would endure probably the most, in line with the presidency.
For his half, Putin requested Erdoğan to assist Russia export its grain to African international locations susceptible to meals shortages.
On Friday, the Turkish president mentioned he was on the identical web page with Russia over the necessity to export grain to much less developed African international locations.
“We will turn the grain from the Black Sea into flour and transport them to poor, less developed African countries,” Erdoğan mentioned.
The grain deal aimed to alleviate a worldwide meals disaster, and grain costs have risen since Moscow let it expire. Ukraine and Russia are each main grain exporters.
Nearly 33 million tons of Ukrainian grain was exported whereas the Black Sea deal was operational.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
