Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated today, Monday, that "the first part of the talks between President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan was very constructive." Turkish President Erdogan arrived in Sochi today for a working visit to discuss matters with his Russian counterpart. During his reception of Erdogan, Putin said, "We look forward to completing discussions regarding the gas hub in Turkey soon."
For his part, Erdogan pointed out that "the Ukrainian grain export corridor is the most significant issue in his talks with Putin, and the message that will come out after the meeting will be very important, especially for less developed countries in Africa." He added, "The most important step that everyone is looking forward to in Turkey-Russia relations today is the grain corridor." Erdogan will attempt to persuade Putin to return to the Ukrainian grain export agreement, which helped alleviate the global food crisis.
In an interview with A Haber television, Erdogan's senior advisor on foreign policy and security, Akif Çağatay Kılıç, noted that "we are playing a leading role in this... The current situation regarding the grain agreement will be discussed at today's summit. We are cautious, but we hope to achieve success."
A source reported that "senior Turkish economic policymakers will visit Russia today for meetings, coinciding with President Erdogan's meeting with Putin." Russia withdrew from the agreement in July, a year after it was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, stating at the time that "its food and fertilizer exports were facing obstacles, and that Ukrainian grain was not reaching the countries in most need."
