Russian, Turkish diplomats discuss situation over grain deal developments
“It was stressed that the Kiev regime, with support from its Western patrons, used the humanitarian shipping corridor, created for the transportation of Ukrainian grain, to carry out strikes against the infrastructure and ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, which were responsible for ensuring the safe operation of the route in question,” according to the statement.
Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Russia, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Sergey Lavrov respectively, discussed the recent developments regarding complications over the grain deal, said a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
“Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a telephone conversation earlier in the day. They have discussed a situation regarding the grain deal,” the source said.
Kremlin’s press office reported that President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation earlier on Tuesday with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan informing him about Russia’s decision to suspend the country’s participation in the grain deal, Kremlin’s press office said in a statement.
“It was stressed that the Kiev regime, with support from its Western patrons, used the humanitarian shipping corridor, created for the transportation of Ukrainian grain, to carry out strikes against the infrastructure and ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, which were responsible for ensuring the safe operation of the route in question,” according to the statement.
The Russian president turned the attention of his Turkish counterpart to the fact that the second part of the package agreements to unblock the export of Russian farm produce and fertilizers to world markets had not been implemented. Also, he stressed that during the three months the agreements on the export of Ukrainian grain had been in effect the goal of ensuring the delivery of food to the neediest countries on a priority basis had not been achieved.
On October 29, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that following a terror attack committed by the Kiev regime “with participation of specialists from the United Kingdom against the Russian Black Sea Fleet and civilian ships engaged to ensure security of the grain corridor, the Russian side” decided to suspend its participation in the implementation of agreements on the export of food from Ukrainian ports.
According to the ministry, Kiev used nine drones and seven autonomous marine unmanned vehicles. All of them were destroyed.
Istanbul July 22 package of documents
A package of documents was signed in Istanbul on July 22 to facilitate the export of food and mineral fertilizer to world markets. The Russia-UN memorandum stipulates that the United Nations will join the efforts to lift anti-Russian restrictions for the exportation of agricultural output and mineral fertilizer to global markets.
The other document stipulates a mechanism for exporting grain from Kiev-controlled Black Sea ports. The agreement between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN stipulates creating a four-party coordination center whose representatives were set to inspect grain-exporting vessels to prevent weapons smuggling and rule out provocations.
