President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made evaluations about the Grain Corridor to journalists on the plane upon his return from India, where he went to attend the G20 Leaders Summit.
President Erdoğan stated the following in his statements:
We discussed these issues in detail with Mr. Putin during our visit to Sochi on Monday. Mr. Putin said that the West did not keep its promises to him. He mentioned that he would send 1 million tons of grain in the first place. In our meeting with Lavrov, we planned to send 1 million tons of grain to poor African countries as Qatar-Turkey-Russia. We will take steps by reconsidering this export that we are considering. Previously, 33 million tons of grain had been shipped. We proposed to relieve the least developed African countries by increasing this amount again. Lavrov said, “Let’s review this with the President.” I will discuss this issue with Mr. Putin on the phone again. It would be beneficial to relieve the least developed African countries by increasing this amount.
“We will continue to maintain the same effort and effort for the Grain Corridor”
I believe that every meeting held with the priority of dialogue and the win-win principle will yield beneficial results for our country and humanity. Our people-oriented diplomacy, our efforts for peace and our active role in global issues are appreciated by all countries and international organizations. At the G20, this appreciation was recorded in the final declaration. Both in the widely attended meetings on the margins of the summit and in our bilateral meetings, we explained what efforts Turkey has made to continue the grain corridor agreement, what facilitating steps it has taken, what plans we have on our agenda regarding this issue and what we recommend to the parties. We will continue to maintain the same diligence and effort. We will be at every table as a stabilizing force to prevent the world from being dragged into a new food, energy or other crisis, and to prevent more human blood from being shed.
“It should be known that Türkiye is the only country that strives to prevent the food crisis.”
The issue will also be one of the main agenda items at the United Nations General Assembly. I will explain in detail the work our country has done on the subject there. We have done our part and continue to do our part to prevent the world from entering a new crisis and to prevent poor countries from facing hunger. This needs to be known by the world public opinion and its people. That’s why we will explain our work on every platform. Nations, especially the people of Western countries, should know that Turkey is the only country that strives to prevent the food crisis. We, as Turkey, will continue to produce solutions and strive to reopen this corridor until the end.
“The common wish of the leaders is for the continuation of the Black Sea Initiative”
I had bilateral meetings with many leaders. The heads of state and government I met on the margins of the summit expressed how valuable Turkey’s efforts were. All of the leaders I met with asked us again, especially regarding the operation of the Black Sea Grain Corridor. Of course, the common wish of all leaders is for the continuation of the Black Sea Initiative… I particularly mention our efforts in this regard in my meetings. Because the gravity of the issue and Turkey’s efforts must be known and seen.
“The West must also fulfill its responsibilities”
Many countries are aware of the intense diplomacy we, as Turkey, have been carrying out to ensure peace since the first moment of the war. However, at this point, Western countries need to take action and fulfill their promises. Of course, we brought up Mr. Putin’s offer to send 1 million tons of grain for now. We will ask Mr. Putin to increase this amount by continuing telephone diplomacy. Of course, the West has to do its part in this regard.
It’s not just grain, there’s also a fertilizer shipment here. This fertilizer issue is not something to be taken lightly. Therefore, we will continue our negotiations with Mr. Putin to ensure that both products reach their targets. Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan will follow the issue closely and I hope that we will overcome these problems. Russia’s demands are clear and obvious. As you know, there are some issues that Russia sees as shortcomings. They want a payment mechanism to be established so that they can receive money for the grain they will send through this corridor, and they want their ships to be excluded from sanctions so that they can be insured. We are also trying to solve these problems and get a result. Mr. Putin stated that grain shipments will begin when their demands are met. While Western countries appreciate Turkey’s efforts, they should also make an effort and fulfill their promises.
