Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday highlighted the «trusting» relationship with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and said that thanks to these ties it was possible to reactivate the agreement with Ukraine for the export of grain from Ukrainian ports.
«If we did not have mutual trust, we would not have been able to take this step or materialize it,» explained Erdogan, who insisted that this «mutual trust» and «respect» between the two leaders allow «to take such steps», as reported by the Turkish state news agency Anatolia.
In this sense, he has argued that this is «a policy of leaders» and pointed out that both countries maintain cooperation in several changes, including nuclear energy and the defense industry. «They promote mutual respect,» he stressed, before stressing that he hopes to continue to play his role as a mediator.
Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 following mediation by Turkey and the United Nations to unblock grain and fertilizer exports, a pact that was briefly interrupted by Moscow’s accusations against Kiev over alleged threats to the security of the corridor.
Finally, Russia announced its return to the agreement after citing Ukrainian «guarantees», which Kiev dismissed, although contacts are still underway to try to achieve an extension of the agreement, given that it expires on November 19, in the midst of the food and energy crisis due to the war.
