Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his anticipation of discussing the possibility of expanding food shipments to African countries in the near future with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He shared this during a press briefing with his media team upon returning from India, where the G20 summit took place.
"Previously, we shipped 33 million tons of specific grain types. Once more, we have extended our offer to assist the least developed African countries by increasing these shipments. During discussions in India, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed talking to the Russian president about this. I will revisit this matter with Mr. Putin through a phone conversation. Increasing these volumes could be beneficial in aiding the least developed African countries," stated Erdoğan, as reported by the TRT TV channel.
The Turkish president also emphasized that his country "will persist in seeking solutions to reopen the grain corridor."
"During my visit to Sochi, I had detailed discussions with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin on these matters. Mr. Putin expressed his disappointment with the West for failing to fulfill their promises. He indicated that he intends to begin by sending 1 million tons of grain. During my meeting with Lavrov at the G20 summit, we explored the prospects of sending one million tons of grain to impoverished African countries through the Qatar-Turkey-Russia partnership. We will evaluate this project and take the necessary steps to make it a reality," Erdoğan stated.
On August 31, Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Hakan Fidan conducted discussions in Moscow concerning the grain deal and the specifics of implementing the proposal to facilitate the delivery of 1 million tons of Russian grain to Turkey at a subsidized rate, supported financially by Qatar. Putin and Erdoğan further deliberated on this matter in Sochi on September 4.
Both sides emphasized that this project doesn't replace the terminated grain deal from July 18 but is aimed at addressing critical food shortages in countries in need. Turkey expressed its support for this initiative and readiness to execute it.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS