Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Sunday that Ankara is making every effort to extend the “grain agreement”.
Çavuşoğlu said this in his speech at the UN Conference on Least Developed Countries in Qatar, writes “European Truth” with reference to the agency Reuters.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, launched by the UN and Turkey last July, allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports. The deal was extended in November and will expire on March 18 unless an extension is agreed upon.
“We are working hard on the smooth implementation and further extension of the Black Sea Grain Agreement,” said Çavuşoğlu.
He also said that he discussed the issue of extending the agreement with UN Secretary General António Guterres.
On Wednesday, Russia said it would agree to extend the Black Sea Grain Agreement only if if interests are taken into account its own agricultural producers.
Business community of Ukraine on Tuesday issued a joint appeal to the guarantor parties of the Black Sea Grain Initiative to promote its stable work, continuation and expansion.
Meanwhile, on February 15, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine accused Russia of disruption of the “grain corridor”.
