Turkey continues consultations with representatives of the United Nations in order to lift restrictions on the export of Russian agricultural products within the Black Sea grain initiative, counting on success in this matter. A Turkish diplomatic source told TASS on Tuesday, commenting on the June 9 talks on the grain deal between Russian and UN representatives in Geneva.
"Consultations with the UN continue with an understanding of the Russian side's concerns. We are counting on the success of these efforts and the extension of the deal after its current deadline, July 17," the source said.
Following the talks in Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said that the memorandum between Russia and the UN Secretariat on supplying Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to the world market is, in fact, not being implemented. Moscow's negative assessment of this circumstance has not changed after another round of consultations held in Geneva, the diplomat said.
On July 22, 2022 a package of documents on the supply of food and fertilizers to the international market was signed in Istanbul. Initially the agreements were concluded for 120 days, but last November they were prolonged for the same period. On March 18, 2023, Russia announced a 60-day extension of the deal, warning that this would be enough time to evaluate the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN.
Vershinin, following the May 10-11 negotiations of the Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian and UN delegations in Istanbul, said that the grain deal would be terminated if Moscow did not receive guarantees that its requirements concerning the export of agricultural products and fertilizers, reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT system and some other issues would be met by May 18.
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Based on materials from TASS