“To date, a large number of ships have carried more than 24 million tons of grain and other foodstuffs. It has made significant contributions to both regional and world peace and to the reduction of food prices. The continuation of the grain corridor is really important. We want the agreement to be extended for a further 120 days. Russia and Ukraine will decide. The United Nations (UN) thinks similarly to us. Hopefully, we will try to solve it positively in the coming days,” Hulusi Akar said.

The Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports, is also called the Black Sea Grain Initiative, is an agreement between Russia and Ukraine made with Turkey and the United Nations (UN) during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The agreement was signed in Istanbul on 22 July 2022, valid for a period of 120 days.

Earlier this month, Turkey and the UN announced that they were facilitating negotiations for a second extension. (ILKHA)