Turkish President Urges Western Countries to Consider Russia’s Demands
Talks with Russian President Could Lead to Resumption of Black Sea Grain Initiative
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his planned talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin could lead to a resumption of the Black Sea grain initiative and urged Western countries to consider Russia’s demands, Turkish TV channels reported on Friday.
“The termination of the grain agreement in the Black Sea will have a number of consequences, ranging from rising world food prices to shortages (grain) in certain areas, and could lead to new waves of migration,” Erdogan told reporters during the return trip from the tour, which included the Gulf countries and northern Cyprus.
“I believe that by having a comprehensive discussion of this issue with President Putin, we will be able to ensure the continuation of these humanitarian efforts,” Erdogan added, according to Reuters.
Russia Withdraws from UN-Turkey-Brokered Agreement
This week, Russia withdrew from a UN-Turkey-brokered agreement that allowed Ukrainian grain to be safely exported across the Black Sea last year. He also canceled the guarantees of safe navigation, and since then not a single ship has left the Ukrainian ports.
Moscow says it will not return to the deal unless its demands for easier access to world markets for its food and fertilizer exports are met. Western countries say Moscow has had no problem selling food that is not subject to financial sanctions.
“We understand that President Putin also has certain expectations from Western countries, and it is very important that these countries take action in this regard,” Erdogan said.
On Friday, Russia bombed food export facilities in Ukraine for the fourth day in a row and conducted exercises to take control of ships in the Black Sea, in an escalation that Western leaders are calling an attempt to get rid of sanctions, threatening to provoke a global food crisis.
Erdogan repeated previous statements in which he said he hoped Putin would visit Turkey in August.
