ANKARA: Delegations from Turkey, Russia and Ukraine plan to hold a meeting on the grain deal in Istanbul on May 5, Turkish National Defense...
ANKARA: Delegations from Turkey, Russia and Ukraine plan to hold a meeting on the grain deal in Istanbul on May 5, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Wednesday.
"On Friday, May 5, the deputy defense ministers of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine plan to meet in Istanbul [to discuss the grain deal]. We can say that the sides are ready to extend the agreements. We want this initiative to be extended without problems," the TRT channel quoted the defense chief as saying.
Akar added that the sides also planned to discuss a number of issues regarding the implementation of the grain deal. "These agreements are very important for regional peace and ensuring stability. They are also of great importance for those countries in need [of food]," the defense chief said.
The agreements on food exports from Ukraine were signed on July 22, 2022 for a period of 120 days. The agreements were then extended for the same period last November. On March 18, Russia announced a 60-day extension of the deal, warning that this would be enough time to assess the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN. The Russian Foreign Ministry also pointed out that a further decision on the extension of the deal would depend on reconnecting Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) back to the SWIFT system, resuming supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and service, lifting restrictions on insurance and reinsurance, lifting the ban on access to ports, resuming operation of the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline, unblocking foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies involved in the production and transportation of food and fertilizers.
-News Feed
COMMENTS