Ankara and Moscow have agreed to work to lift obstacles to Russian fertilizer and grain exports, the Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday.
“The grain corridor is proof that dialogue and negotiation are working. We attach importance to continuation of the agreement. This is also important in terms of reducing the world food crisis,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference with his visiting Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in the capital Ankara.
“We agree that the barriers to Russian grain and exports should also be removed. We support efforts to remove these barriers.” Cavusoglu said it is important to ensure shipments of Russian ammonia and fertilizers as well.
He added that more than 27 million tons of grain have been carried by 866 ships via the Black Sea grain corridor deal, which Türkiye helped broker last year in a bid to avert a potential food crisis amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
Last July, Turkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports after they were paused due to Russias war on Ukraine, which had threatened a world food crisis.
On recent Israeli attacks on Palestine, Cavusoglu called on Israel to permanently stop both attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and airstrikes.
The escalation comes after Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem and forcibly removed Palestinian worshippers for two nights in a row.
“The treatment of the Israeli police especially of Muslims who were praying here is unacceptable. It is inhuman,” Cavusoglu stressed.
“Palestine, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Jerusalem are our red line. We will never compromise on these issues,” Cavusoglu said.
During talks with Lavrov, Cavusoglu said they also discussed regional and international issues, including the situation in Libya.
On Libya, Cavusoglu said: “We believe that the country should be prepared for a democratic and transparent election as soon as possible.” He added that Turkiye will continue efforts to unify the country in every sense, and Ankara will also cooperate closely with Russia and other actors on this issue.
Source: Qatar News Agency