Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced Monday that Ankara will propose to extend for another year the grain export agreement signed by Russia and Ukraine, which expires on November 19.
«We talked about the conflict and humanitarian conditions separately. Ukraine has given written assurances to Russia through Turkey. We will propose an extension of the agreement for one more year,» he specified, as reported by the Turkish daily ‘Hurriyet’.
The Turkish Defense Minister, who chaired a meeting on Monday with a delegation from the US Defense Ministry, stressed that Ankara’s efforts to promote an extension of the pact «continue».
«The grain initiative is a good example that the parties can solve some problems through negotiations. With the use of this model, a ceasefire can be reached in the coming days,» he said, as reported by the Anatolia news agency.
Russia announced last Tuesday its return to the agreement after breaking it in retaliation for an attack on its fleet in the Black Sea. Despite the lack of security guarantees from Moscow, ships have continued to leave Ukrainian ports in recent weeks.
The agreement has allowed the export of almost 10 million tons since July. The UN is relying on this pact to improve food security worldwide, insofar as the outbreak of the conflict in February resulted in a disruption of the supply chain and a rise in prices that has particularly affected developing countries.
