Erdoğan leaves for official Russia visit
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan embarked on a day-long working visit to the coastal city of Sochi in Russia to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
The talks held during this visit are set to cover a wide range of topics, including current regional and global issues, as well as the state of Türkiye-Russia relations.
One key agenda item is the revival of last year's historic Black Sea grain deal, which played a crucial role in alleviating the global food crisis. Following discussions, both leaders are expected to hold a joint news conference to share updates on their deliberations.
This visit comes in the wake of Russia's suspension of its participation in a grain export deal with Ukraine, which had been brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations. Ankara is actively working towards the resumption of this deal, despite Moscow's complaints about Western nations failing to meet their obligations regarding Russia's grain exports. Russia has cited issues related to payments, logistics, and insurance as barriers to its grain shipments and expressed frustration that not enough Ukrainian grain is reaching countries in need.
Türkiye maintains that there is no alternative to the initiative and has been engaged in intensive diplomatic efforts to restore the July 2022 deal. Furthermore, Ankara has called upon Kyiv and Moscow to seek a negotiated end to the ongoing war. In July, President Erdogan met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Istanbul to discuss these matters.
The discussions in Sochi are anticipated to play a crucial role in addressing these regional challenges and advancing Türkiye-Russia relations. (ILKHA)