Fidan, Lavrov discuss revival of Ukraine grain deal

 Photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the revival of the Ukraine grain corridor agreement during a meeting with his counterpart in Moscow yesterday.

Among the topics discussed by the two ministers is Russia's shipment of one million tons of grain to Turkey at a reduced price. According to the plan proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, this grain would be processed in Turkey and then sent to the countries in need, with support from Qatar.

In July 2022, Turkey, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine had initially reached an agreement to facilitate grain shipments from occupied Ukraine. However, Russia canceled the agreement about a year later citing ongoing obstacles to the sale of its own food products.

"Turkey has been making intensive efforts to revive the grain deal," Fidan said during a joint press conference with Sergey Lavrov. "We have engaged in consultations on both bilateral and regional issues. The Black Sea Initiative has been at the forefront of our agenda."

He added that the United Nations has been actively involved in the agreement and that they are in contact with their colleagues, including Secretary-General Guterres. "There is a process in place to better understand and meet Russia's demands."

Fidan also mentioned that his visit to Russia serves as preparation for a planned meeting between the two countries' presidents in Sochi, where they will delve deeper into the issue.

The UN proposal

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had previously sent a letter to Lavrov, expressing his intention to re-implement the agreement.

During the conference, Lavrov said he had discussed Guterres's new proposals with him during the BRICS summit in South Africa but noted that these proposals "lacked guarantees."

"We honestly conveyed to both the secretary-general and our Turkish friends what is contained in this message. There are no guarantees; there are only promises to try faster, try harder," he remarked.

While acknowledging Guterres' efforts, Lavrov accused the Western countries of "hindering the resolution of obstacles that prevent a more active export of Russian grain and fertilizers."

"Thus, I can confirm that as soon as there are guarantees with a tangible outcome, which can be implemented immediately, the full-scale implementation of this package will resume," Lavrov remarked.

The minister also mentioned that Fidan and he had discussed Putin's proposal to supply Russian grain to Turkey at a discounted price. "This issue is also under discussion with the involvement of our Qatari friends, who are willing to participate in the financial aspects of this initiative."

The grain deal

The grain deal, which aimed to facilitate food exports from Ukraine, was implemented in July 2022.

In order to prevent arms smuggling through foodstuff shipments, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN established the Joint Coordination Center in İstanbul, responsible for inspecting grain-carrying vessels.

Throughout the duration of the agreement, Ukraine successfully exported over 32.8 million tons of grain, with 10.93 million tons sent to Asia and 12.37 million tons to Western Europe. The largest importers during this period included China, Spain, Turkey, Italy, and the Netherlands. (AEK/VK)