The World is Also Waiting for Today's Results: Erdogan

During a meeting today in Sochi with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the negotiations between the two leaders regarding the grain deal would be significant for the world and African countries.

“Of course, the most important issue is grain. The world is also waiting for today’s results,” noted the Turkish leader.

Recall that the Black Sea grain initiative, signed on July 22, 2022, by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN, involved the export of Ukrainian grain, food, and fertilizers from three ports in the Black Sea, including Odessa. The movement of ships was coordinated by the Joint Coordination Center located in Istanbul.

The grain initiative was a component of a package agreement. The second part, the Russia-UN memorandum, which was designed for three years, aimed at unblocking the export of food and fertilizers from Russia, with the main issues including the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts, and servicing, the restoration of the operation of the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, and several other measures. Moscow notes that this part of the package agreement has not been fulfilled.

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that the majority of Ukrainian grain is exported to Western countries, and the main objective of the agreement—to supply grain to needy countries, including African states—has yet to be realized.

The grain deal was suspended on July 18, but Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the Russian president, announced that Russia would promptly return to its implementation once the part of the deal related to Russia is fulfilled. Previously, Putin indicated that the terms of the agreement concerning Russia were not met, despite UN efforts, as Western countries are unwilling to keep their promises.