Somali Magazine 4 September 2023- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Russia’s seaside resort of Sochi on Monday to meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
During his day-long business visit, Erdogan will meet with Putin to address current regional and global challenges, as well as Turkey-Russia ties.
Reviving last year’s historic Black Sea grain agreement, which contributed to the global food crisis, will also be on the agenda for the leaders, who will hold a joint press conference later.
Following Russia’s suspension of participation in the Ukraine grain export contract mediated by Turkey and the United Nations, Ankara remains committed to resuming the deal.
Moscow has claimed that the West has failed to meet its duties regarding Russia’s own food exports, and that not enough Ukrainian grain is reaching needy nations. It claims that payment, logistical, and insurance constraints have hampered its shipments.
Türkiye claims there is no alternative to the plan, confirming the need of meeting Russia’s requests for the sale of its own grain and fertiliser.
Ankara has been making intensive diplomatic efforts to restore the July 2022 agreement and has also urged Kiev and Moscow to stop the crisis through diplomacy.
Erdogan also met with his Ukrainian colleague, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Istanbul in July to discuss the issues.