Istanbul [Turkey], September 11: Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogan has warned against isolating Russia in discussions about creating a new version of an agreement to allow the export of Ukrainian grain.
"A process that excludes Russia on the grain issue is unlikely to be sustainable," Erdogan told reporters after the G20 summit in New Delhi on Sunday.
He was referring to attempts to revive the agreement allowing the safe passage of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea that Russia cancelled, demanding the easing of sanctions to enable exports of its own goods.
The original agreement was mediated by the UN and Turkey last summer. Fears are growing that if it is not renewed, this could deepen the global food crisis.
Turkey is continuing its efforts to mediate, Erdogan said, adding that a resumption was quite possible but referred to demands made by Russia. The original deal included an agreement with Russia to facilitate the export of Russian food and fertilizer products.
Source: Qatar Tribune