The Turkish Defense Ministry continues contacts with Russia, Ukraine and the UN to extend the grain deal. This was stated on July 13 by the head of the press service of the department, Zeki Akturk.
“Our contacts with UN, Russian and Ukrainian officials regarding the extension of the grain initiative, which expires on July 17, continue in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he told the TV channel. TRT Haber.
According to him, with the help of more than a thousand ships, about 33 million tons of grain were exported from Ukrainian ports to world markets.
“Our country is ready to assist and will continue to take constructive initiatives in this matter,” Akturk added.
The channel’s source also said that all the work of the Turkish Defense Ministry is focused only on extending the grain deal.
Earlier, on July 12, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his desire to discuss with Russian leader Vladimir Putin the situation around the grain deal, which expires on July 17.
On July 5, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there were no grounds for extending the deal at the moment, but there was still time to fulfill the Russian part of the agreements.
On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan noted that Ankara is committed to the idea of extending the grain deal. According to him, Türkiye was able to ensure negotiations on the most important topics.
The food deal was concluded on July 22, 2022 in Istanbul. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and UN Secretary General António Guterres signed a memorandum on facilitating the supply of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets. At the same time, the Ukrainian delegation signed an agreement with Turkey and an international organization on the export of grain.
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