Ankara Hopes to Quickly Implement Ukrainian Grain Plan

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, said on Saturday that if the plan for Ukrainian grain is quickly implemented, then the situation with global food security can be eased.

"President Erdogan noted that by swiftly implementing the plan, a huge relief would be ensured in terms of the global food security," the presidential office said on Twitter.

Turkish capital of Istanbul hosted the "grain issue" negotiations of the military officials of Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN delegation on Wednesday. After the talks, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated that the parties agreed to create a coordination center in Istanbul and that the Russian and Ukrainian sides will convene for another round of the "grain issue" negotiations in Turkey.

As a Sputnik source familiar with the situation noted on Thursday, a new meeting of the delegations of Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN on the "grain issue" is preliminarily scheduled for July 20-21.

The UN has repeatedly warned about the possibility of a food crisis due to grain shortages. Western countries have accused Russia of blocking grain shipments in Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

Moscow insists that the ports were mined by Ukraine, making shipments impossible. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia does not prevent the export of grain from Ukraine, and if Kiev demines the ports, ships with grain will be able to leave without difficulty.