Türkiye and Russia discussed alternative grain exports

According to the information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Fidan and his Russian counterpart Lavrov spoke on the phone.

During the meeting, the latest developments within the framework of the Istanbul Grain Agreement and the procurement of large-bodied firefighting aircraft from Russia to be used in forest fires were discussed.

Interfax news agency announced that the Minister and Fidan and his counterpart Lavrov discussed alternative grain export routes.

The agreement, which enabled more than 33 million tons of grain to reach various parts of the world, ended when Russia did not want to extend the agreement date.

While there were harsh reactions and criticisms from European member countries and the USA on the subject, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who made statements before the Gulf tour, said, “I believe that Russian President Putin wants this humanitarian bridge to continue” on the grain corridor that ended. He had said before that he could talk to Putin on the phone about this issue.

The agreement, which was signed with a ceremony held in Istanbul on July 22, 2022, expired on July 17.

Kremlin: We do not know who will take the risks in the grain corridor without Russia

On the other hand, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov stated that there will be risks in the grain corridor where Russia is not present, and said, “We are not ready to say which countries are ready to take these risks and to what extent.”

Peskov told reporters about Ukraine’s “attempt to maintain the grain corridor without Russia”.

Pointing out that this issue should be interpreted by the Russian army, Peskov said, “We are talking about a region directly close to the battlefield. Without appropriate guarantees, certain risks will arise there. Therefore, if something is to be formulated without Russia, these risks must be taken into account. Here, we are talking about the extent to which countries take these risks. “We’re not ready to say it’s ready,” he said.

Peskov stated that the use of this region for the implementation of the grain agreement is risky in any case and said, “It is very clear that this region is used for military purposes by the Kiev regime. This is a very important issue that should not be forgotten.”

Emphasizing that Russia fulfilled its obligations even though the terms of the grain agreement were not implemented, Peskov said that they highly appreciated the role of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in signing the agreement and his efforts to persuade European countries to fulfill their obligations.

“Russia will continue to provide grain aid to underdeveloped countries”

Stating that after the grain agreement, Russia will continue to help the underdeveloped countries instead of the Ukrainian grain supply, Peskov said, “Of course, Russia maintains its position in this regard. Unfortunately, we are talking about very small amounts because the poorest countries in Africa received the least share of the grain agreement compared to everyone else.” .

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov stated that the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement was stopped yesterday and that Russia would return to the agreement when the relevant conditions were implemented.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that they would return to the agreement if the West stopped imposing sanctions on Russian food and fertilizers.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that he sent a letter to the United Nations (UN) with Turkey offering to continue the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement without Russia, and said, “Ukraine, the UN and Turkey can ensure the operation of the food corridor and the inspection of the ships.”