Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday. The ministers are expected to discuss prospects for grain exports from Ukrainian ports, Ankara's plans for a military operation in northern Syria and bilateral cooperation.
Lavrov arrived in Ankara the day before. According to him, Russian specialists left for Turkey as early as Monday. Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister, earlier told TASS that representatives of the Russian defense ministry would also be part of Lavrov's delegation during his visit to Turkey.
Russian and Turkish foreign ministers Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu will discuss the current state of affairs in the Ukrainian crisis as well as the prospects for resuming talks between Moscow and Kiev during a working meeting, according to reports circulated by the Russian MFA on Tuesday.
The ministry also noted that the heads of diplomatic agencies intend to consider the situation in the Transcaucasia, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, as well as in the Black Sea region.
In addition, it is planned to discuss the prospects for trade and economic cooperation in the conditions of Western sanctions against Russia.
After Ankara, Lavrov will travel to Yerevan, where he will hold talks with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan and take part in the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. In this regard, it is expected that Lavrov will discuss his upcoming visit to Armenia and the prospects of establishing relations between Ankara and Yerevan with Cavusoglu.
Grain exports from Ukraine
The main topic of the talks is expected to be the military operation in Ukraine and the export of grain from the country's ports. Russia has repeatedly stressed that it does not hinder the export of Ukrainian grain. As Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier, Moscow guarantees unhindered passage of ships with Ukrainian grain if Ukraine demines its ports in the Black Sea and can ensure its export through Russian-controlled ports, such as Berdyansk and Mariupol. Ukraine, according to the Russian leader, can also export grain by land, and the most logical route is Belarus, which, however, would have to be exempted from Western sanctions.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier confirmed that the topic of Ukrainian grain would be at the top of Lavrov's visit to Turkey's agenda. During the May 30 phone conversation between the presidents of Russia and Turkey, Putin noted that Moscow was ready, in coordination with its Turkish partners, to facilitate unhindered transit of cargo in the Black and Azov seas, including the export of grain from Ukrainian ports.
Lavrov noted that following Putin's conversation with Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, it was agreed that Turkish colleagues would try to help organize demining of Ukrainian ports. The head of the Russian foreign ministry stressed that the demining operation must take place without any attempts to strengthen Ukraine's military potential and harm Russia. He expressed hope that the negotiations in Turkey would be able to work out options for exporting grain from Ukraine, but the final point on this issue should be put by the leaders of the countries. Peskov later added that a decision on the possible consolidation of an agreement on food security at the level of Russian and Turkish leaders would be made after Lavrov and Cavusoglu's talks.
Zakharova had earlier pointed out that Russia was ready to supply its grain to all countries in need, but it was obstructed by the West, which, to please its political and commercial interests, introduced restrictions on the entry of foreign ships to Russian ports, the servicing of Russian vessels in foreign ports and created insurmountable barriers in the field of insurance and banking transactions.
Turkey's view
On June 4, the official representative of the president of Turkey Ibrahim Kalin said in an interview with Anadolu Agency that supplies of Ukrainian grain to the world markets through the Black Sea and across the straits area could begin in the near future and that the signing of a memorandum during Lavrov's visit to Ankara could facilitate this.
Furthermore, the Turkish media reported that the issue of creating a "grain center" in Istanbul and that representatives of the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the UN had prepared a road map to unblock the export of Ukrainian grain and its export through the Black Sea and the straits zone. The implementation of these plans will allegedly allow about 20 million tons of grain to be exported to world markets. Commenting on these reports, Cavusoglu said that Turkey is open to cooperation with all countries on the issue of creating a security corridor for exporting Ukrainian grain to world markets by sea.
Zakharova, commenting on Turkish reports about the prospects of UN-mediated negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, noted that Moscow is grateful to Ankara for the initiative, but there are no facts to speculate about it yet.
According to Bloomberg, Russia and Turkey have tentatively agreed to resume the transportation of agricultural products, including grain, via the Black Sea, via Odessa, but Kiev is skeptical about the plan.
Operation in Syria
Ankara's plans to launch a new military operation in northern Syria will be an important topic of discussion. On May 23, Erdogan announced preparations for an operation in the areas of Manbij and Tall Rifat in northern Syria to expand the 30-kilometer security zone created in October 2019 after Operation Peace Spring. On June 4, the Turkish leader noted that Ankara intends to conduct new cross-border operations in northern Syria to ensure security on its southern borders.
The Russian diplomatic mission received the reports about the force operation with concern. Zakharova said that such a step without the consent of the Syrian government would be a direct violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the republic, and would also provoke an additional escalation of tension in that country. The diplomat expressed hope that Ankara would refrain from actions that could lead to a deterioration of the situation in Syria. She stressed that Moscow understands Turkey's concerns about the threats to national security emanating from Syria's border regions. According to her, reliable security on the Syrian-Turkish border can only be ensured through the deployment of soldiers of the Syrian power structures in the adjacent area.
In mid-June, Kazakhstan is scheduled to host another round of talks in the Astana format on Syria, which involves Russia, Turkey and Iran. It is possible that the ministers will discuss how this format will develop further, taking into account recent developments.
Turkey's position in NATO
Lavrov and Cavusoglu are likely to discuss NATO expansion against the background of Finland's and Sweden's plans to join the alliance. The Turkish president has repeatedly stated that Ankara will not support the admission of these countries into NATO until they determine their attitude towards terrorist organizations, in particular, the Kurdistan Workers' Party.
Erdogan's spokesman said on June 4 that Ankara was not limited by a timeframe in deciding on the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland. He pointed out that these countries need to fulfill the requirements that Turkey puts forward for them in the matter of NATO membership.
Lavrov, commenting on Ankara's position on the membership of these countries in the alliance, noted that this issue is a sovereign matter for Turkey. The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, according to the minister, will not make the situation better politically.
Economy and tourism
Moscow and Ankara have close and developed trade and economic relations. According to Alexander Novak, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and co-chairman of the Russian-Turkish Intergovernmental Commission, the trade turnover between Russia and Turkey was $33 billion in 2021 and Moscow expects it to increase in 2022.
Russia is also implementing in Turkey the project of the country's first nuclear power plant Akkuyu. According to Erdogan, the nuclear power plant, which is being built by Rosatom State Corporation, will be launched by the end of 2023.
In addition, Turkey remains a popular destination for Russian tourists due to the fact that the authorities of the country did not join sanctions against Russia because of the special operation in Ukraine and did not shut down air travel. The Turkish authorities initially expected to receive about 7 million Russian tourists this year, but due to the Ukrainian crisis, this figure was reduced to 3.5 million people. The majority of Russians are waiting at sea resorts, mainly in Antalya.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS