Erdogan noted that he was able to hold detailed negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who represents the Russian delegation at the summit. “The agreement on grain made it possible to avoid a world food crisis. During its operation, 33 million tons of grain were exported to the countries. A process in which Russia remains outside the framework of the agreement will be unstable. It cannot be excluded from the agreement process. There should also be no attempts to increase tension in the region,” the Turkish president emphasized.
In addition, Erdogan said he would ask UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to send Russia a new letter with proposals for a deal. “We must mention the reconnection to SWIFT and insurance. We will monitor the situation,” said the Turkish president.
Earlier, at a press conference in New Delhi, Sergei Lavrov noted that proposals to reconnect Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT through a branch in Luxembourg are unacceptable. He noted that no one promised a positive solution to this issue.
On September 4, in Sochi, the presidents of the Russian Federation and Turkey discussed the fate of the grain agreement. Vladimir Putin then said that the Russian Federation would be ready to revive the grain agreement and would do so as soon as all registered agreements were fulfilled.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that Russia will continue to export domestic food and fertilizers, which will help stabilize world prices and improve their overall availability. The Russian side also does not cease its efforts to transfer products free of charge to countries in need, notes the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
