Erdoğan gave good news about the food grain agreement
Russia will return to the grain agreement with Ukraine. This is what Turkey, the mediator of the agreement, said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Moscow had agreed to renew the agreement under certain conditions. The main condition is that Ukraine should prioritize food exports to African countries.
Moscow canceled the grain deal after Ukraine's drone attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet in the Black Sea last week. The United Nations and Ukraine expressed concern over the issue. However, Turkey again started a diplomatic race to bring Moscow back to the agreement.
On Wednesday (November 2), the Turkish president said that Russia has agreed to return to the agreement. He said that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and confirmed the matter.
The Russian Defense Minister said, 'The food grain export agreement will continue as before.' Erdoğan said that according to the agreement, priority will be given to poor African countries such as Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan in terms of Ukraine's food exports.
A food grain agreement was signed between Ukraine and Russia last July, mediated by the United Nations and Turkey. Under the so-called Black Sea Agreement, Ukraine is allowed to export more than 9 million tons of grain through the Black Sea.
Russia approved the grain export agreement to deal with the pressure of the global food crisis. But it did not benefit the developing countries much. Moscow complains that most of the food grains exported from Ukraine go to European Union (EU) countries.
The duration of the contract is 120 days. This period will end this month. If none of the parties object, the contract will be renewed on November 19 for a new period. However, Moscow has raised several objections in this regard. As a result, there is uncertainty about the future of the agreement.
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday about the current state of war. After that phone call, Zelenskiy said, thanks to the efforts of Turkey and the United Nations, his country's grain transportation from ports on the Black Sea coast continues. They deserve thanks for supporting this, even though Russia has suspended the deal.
Zelensky said the grain corridor needs reliable and long-term security. If Russia closes this corridor, the international community should retaliate.
Ukraine's president said Russia should know that any action that disrupts our food exports will receive a harsh response from the international community. It is literally a matter of life and death for billions of people. The President of Ukraine also talked about the supply of air defense systems to Kiev while talking to the French President.
