Turkey would like to process Russian wheat into flour and send it to poor countries for free. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this to Turkish journalists aboard his plane on his return from Qatar.
"Mr. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin made the following proposal to me: "Let us send this grain for free to underdeveloped, that is, poor countries." In fact, we have it planned that we can receive wheat, process it into flour in Turkey, and then send it to these underdeveloped countries," Milliyet newspaper quoted him as saying on Monday.
Meanwhile, on November 17, Erdogan had already announced his desire to receive grain from Russia and process it into flour and then send it to poor countries in Africa.
On November 17, it became known about the extension of agreements on food exports from Ukraine, concluded on July 22 in Istanbul for 120 days. President Erdogan confirmed the extension of the grain deal from November 19, noting that this was done on the basis of a decision taken by the UN, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine. He thanked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky for their efforts to extend the deal.
A UN delegation led by Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths and Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Rebeca Grynspan and a Russian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin met in Geneva last week. The sides discussed food and fertilizer exports from Russia, including for African countries.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS