Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar spoke about the “grain deal”. According to him, Ankara hopes that the agreement will be extended in such a way that it meets the interests of all parties.
The Turkish minister spoke about holding technical talks on a “product deal”. They took place on May 5th. “Today we have gathered again. The deputy ministers of Russia and Ukraine have arrived, they will participate in the meeting,” Akar said in an interview with TRT.
The head of the Turkish defense department noted that there will be trilateral, quadrilateral – with the participation of UN representatives – and bilateral contacts. “And in this way we will decide in which direction we will move in the coming days,” he added.
The “grain deal” was concluded by the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN in the summer of 2022. The agreement provides for the export of Ukrainian food and fertilizers from three Black Sea ports and the unblocking of exports of agricultural products and fertilizers from the Russian Federation. The Russian side has repeatedly stated that the terms of the “product deal” are not being fulfilled in the part that concerns the Russian agricultural sector.
In March 2023, the “grain deal” was extended for another 60 days, until at least May 18. The Kremlin believes that the prospects for the Black Sea grain initiative are not so bright. Press secretary of the Russian leader notedthat there are no positive trends in the improvement of the state of affairs in the second part of the agreement.
