Turkey is negotiating the extension of the “grain deal” there are positive signals

Official Ankara continues contacts with the UN, Ukraine, and Russia to extend the “grain deal”, which expires on March 18.

This was stated by Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akara, quoted by Anadolu Agency.

“Kyiv said that it approves the re-extension of the initiative. Moscow also adheres to a positive agenda on this issue. We, for our part, hope and expect the agreement to be extended, taking into account the input of all parties. We continue to work in this direction,” the minister said.

Akara noted that 790 vessels have so far sailed through the Black Sea’s “grain corridor”, delivering about 23.5 million tons of agricultural products to the world market.

According to the Turkish newspaper, 40% of the agricultural products were shipped to Europe and 30% to Asia. The “grain corridor” exported 13% of agricultural products to Turkey, and 12% to Africa. 5% went to the Middle East.

The grain agreement, which aims to ensure the safe passage of ships from several Ukrainian ports to export food, was signed on July 21, 2022. On November 19, the agreement was extended for a 120-day period. It is due to expire on March 18, 2023.

The Ukrainian government is negotiating the extension of the agreement with its partners, the UN and Turkey. The Ukrainian side also requested an increase in the number of inspections and the inclusion of the port of Mykolaiv in the initiative.

Tags: Turkey, grain corridor, grain deal