Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke Friday by telephone with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Volodimir Zelenski, with whom he discussed the extension of the agreement that will allow the continued export of grain from Ukrainian ports.
The pact has allowed the export of 11.2 million tons of grain since July, according to data from the center that coordinates the operations from Istanbul. It was due to expire this Friday, but the parties agreed on Thursday to maintain it for another four months.
Zelenski has applauded this extension in his conversation with Erdogan, whom he has «thanked for the support». «Ukraine will remain a guarantor of food stability,» the president asserted on his Twitter account, where he also confirmed having discussed energy security and cooperation.
The implementation of the agreement has also generated «special attention» in the contact between Erdogan and Putin, according to the Kremlin statement, which has stressed the importance of removing any kind of «obstacles» to the export of agricultural products and fertilizers from Russia, so that they can also reach the world market.
Ankara and the UN have acted as mediators for a pact that the international organization considers key to stabilizing prices and increasing supplies, especially to developing countries. Russia even withdrew from the agreement for a few days, following an attack on its fleet in the Black Sea.
