The Turkish presidency said, on Saturday, that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and thanked him for his “positive stance” towards extending the grain export agreement across the Black Sea.
The presidency added that they discussed steps to improve Turkish-Russian relations and developments related to the war in Ukraine, and Erdogan also expressed the importance of ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through negotiations as soon as possible.
A week ago, Moscow announced the extension of the grain export agreement from the Black Sea ports for 60 days, and confirmed that it would not consider another extension except with conditions.
Hours before the end of the agreement’s term, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, in remarks broadcast on Turkish television, “After talks with both sides, we confirmed the extension of the agreement, which was supposed to expire on March 19.”
What did Russia say about extending the grain agreement?
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariazakharova published a copy of a letter from Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations saying that Moscow would not object to extending the agreement by 60 days until May 18.
- The letter stated, “The Russian side will not consider a further extension (of the agreement) beyond the set date unless tangible progress is made” on the issue of exporting Russian food and fertilizers.
- Russia says that although the West has not explicitly targeted these exports, sanctions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries create barriers.