Erdogan thanked Putin and Zelensky for extending grain deal

Erdogan thanked Putin and Zelensky for extending grain deal

Putin and Zelensky, with assistance from the United Nations and Turkey, showed “the will to extend the agreement” on grain exports from Ukrainian ports, Erdoğan said. The deal was set to expire on Nov. 19 and was extended for 120 days

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky for extending the grain deal that ensures the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports via the Black Sea. He wrote about it in his Twitter.

According to Erdogan, Turkey organized quadrilateral talks and the UN secretary general, Putin and Zelensky showed “the will to extend the agreement.” The Turkish president explained that the deal will now be valid for 120 days starting November 19.

Previously, Zelensky reported that the deal was extended for 120 days by agreement between the UN secretary general and Erdogan; he did not talk about Russia’s decision. The agreement was welcomed by Guterres on his Twitter. In his view, “the initiative demonstrates the importance of careful diplomacy in finding multilateral solutions.” Guterres also thanked Turkey and the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Without their generosity and determination, this initiative would never have been born. Istanbul remains the center of an outstanding diplomatic achievement,” the UN secretary general said.

On July 22 in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine separately signed an agreement with Turkey and the UN to export grain from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports (Odessa, Yuzhny and Chernomorsk) and facilitate the supply of food and fertilizers from Russia to the world market. In October, Russia suspended its participation in the initiative after the attack on ships in Sevastopol. The country’s Defense Ministry accused Kiev of a “terrorist act” against the ships that were securing the grain corridor.

Russia later returned to the deal. The Defense Ministry said it had received guarantees from Ukraine not to use the corridor for combat operations. The Black Sea deal expired on November 19. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s decision to renew its participation in the agreement did not mean the treaty would be extended beyond that deadline. Turkey, the UN, NATO and the U.S. have called for a one-year extension of the deal. According to Erdogan, more than 11 million tons of food have been removed from Ukrainian ports since the deal was signed.

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