Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are determined to provide food to countries in need.
Erdogan said: “We have once again discussed this issue with Mr. Putin. He, too, is determined. From 44 to 46 percent of the food goes where? To Europe.. Mr. Putin tells me, I will give the grain for free.. We are determined to send this product to the poor African countries through the grain corridor.
Earlier, Erdogan said that he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the possibility of sending Russian grain and fertilizers free of charge to African countries suffering from poverty and hunger.
After pointing out in early September that the West was exporting most Ukrainian grain to its own countries, and not to needy countries in Africa, Putin said that Moscow was ready to supply the poorest countries free of charge with the amount of whole grain that was allocated to them under the agreement. grain deal.
The grain agreement, which was signed on July 22 by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN, provides for the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizer across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa.
The contract expired on November 18, 2022, but meant an automatic extension for a period of 120 days if there were no objections from both parties. The deal itself is an integral part of a complex deal that includes, among other things, the liberalization of Russian exports of food and fertilizers.
Moscow indicated that this was precisely what had not been implemented, while at the same time there were assurances from the UN that the restrictions would be lifted.
Source: News + RT