Earlier in September, Putin vowed to supply one million tons of grain to Turkey for further deliveries to the world’s poorest countries
Moscow reached “fundamental agreements” with Turkey on the grain supplies with the assistance of Qatar, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko announced on Wednesday.
“All fundamental agreements have been reached. We expect that in the near future we will enter into working contacts with all parties to work out all the technical aspects of the scheme for such deliveries,” he told reporters in Moscow, as quoted by Interfax news agency.
The announcement comes just days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Russia to discuss the grain deal with President Vladimir Putin, who in July withdrew from the Ankara-brokered agreement with Ukraine. However, no progress on the renewal of that agreement was announced. Turkish and German media had previously reported that Qatar could play an important role in setting up a potential alternative deal.
Earlier in September, Putin vowed to supply one million tons of grain to Turkey for further deliveries to the world’s poorest countries. In July, at the Russia-Africa forum, he also said that Moscow was ready to supply grain to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Eritrea for free in the next three to four months.
he Russian president has said he would not return to a grain deal with Ukraine until the West met his demands, which included lifting restrictions on shipping.