I would like to reiterate our principled position: we will be ready to consider the possibility of relaunching the Grains Agreement (…) and we will do so immediately as soon as all the provisions for lifting restrictions provided for therein are fully implemented. implemented for the export of Russian agricultural products,” he declared during a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following the bilateral talks.
Mr. Putin also noted that Russia “intends to continue exporting food products and fertilizers, contribute to the stabilization of prices and improve the situation in the global agricultural sector”, specifying that for this purpose it was proposed to organize the delivery of one million tons of Russian agricultural products. cereals at a preferential price to be processed in Turkey and then transported free of charge to the poorest countries.
The Russian president, however, stressed that this measure does not constitute an alternative to the grain agreement which expired on July 17, specifying that Russia will begin delivering its grain free of charge to six African countries within two or three weeks.
The two-grain deals, sponsored by the United Nations and Turkey and concluded separately with Ukraine and Russia in July 2022, have transported more than 32 million tonnes of food to 45 countries on three continents, figures show. of ONU.
For his part, the Turkish president noted that his meeting with his Russian counterpart made it possible to assess the measures that can be taken to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, energy, and agriculture. and tourism.
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He further noted that alternative proposals to the grain deal “failed to meet expectations in terms of security and other aspects.”
“We will prepare a new package of consultations with the United Nations. I believe we will be able to achieve results in this regard,” Erdogan continued, adding that Ankara would spare no effort in this direction.
Widely followed by the international media, the meeting between MM. Putin and Erdogan focused on several other regional and global issues, including the situation in Syria, Transcaucasia, Libya, and Africa.
The last meeting between the two heads of state dates back to October 13, 2022 in Astana, on the sidelines of the 6th summit of the Conference for Cooperation and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia.
