September 5, 2023 - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin made a joint press statement after their critical three-hour meeting in Sochi and discussed important issues.
One of the most important issues that attracted attention as a result of the meeting was Russia's grain exports and Türkiye's support for the Qatar-financed project in this regard. Putin stated that this project could start in two or three weeks. Within the scope of this project, it is aimed to turn the grain into flour in Türkiye and deliver it to poor African countries.
Erdogan said at the end of the meeting, "We are ready to send 1 million tonnes of grain to poor countries. We are ready to take this step as two countries with all the logistic works." He also stated that Qatar will provide financial support to this project and that they will take steps as Russia-Türkiye-Qatar trilateral.
It was emphasised that the Black Sea Initiative plays an important role in the fight against the global food crisis and this issue should be supported by all parties. It was also stated that new proposals are being prepared for the United Nations and it is possible to achieve positive results through this new process.
Putin stated that most of the grain from Ukraine is sent to European countries and poor countries cannot benefit from this grain. He said that Russia welcomed the proposal to send 1 million tonnes of grain to Africa via Türkiye with Qatar financing.
Putin, on the other hand, mentioned the termination of the Black Sea Initiative and said that the West was blocking the export of Russian agricultural and fertiliser products. Stating that Russia is ready to revive the agreement, he emphasised that sanctions against Russian products should be lifted.
He also stated that they support Erdogan's mediation initiatives, but the promises made at the United Nations have not been fulfilled, and stated that they are considering returning to the agreement, but the promises made must be fulfilled.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting between the two leaders was "constructive". The developments that emerged as a result of this important meeting show the will of Türkiye and Russia to continue their cooperation on regional and global issues.
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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