ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2022) �Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that his country is the vital player in the "grain issue" negotiation process and does all in its power to solve the food crisis.
"Turkey is the most important player that does all in its power to end the conflict (in Ukraine) and solve the food crisis. With regard to both of these issues everyone places their hopes on Turkey's actions. The UN Secretary General personally thanked our president for his efforts to solve the food crisis," Cavusoglu said during a speech in Antalya.
�Istanbul, Turkey, hosted the "grain issue" negotiations of the military officials of Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the UN delegation on July 13. After the talks, the 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 preliminary scheduled for July 20-21.� There are no significant obstacles to signing an agreement on the free passage of ships with grain in the Black Sea and only technical details remain to be discussed. According to the source, the agreement on the "grain issue" implies the creation of a security zone for vessel inspections in the vicinity of Ukrainian waters and not in the ports; the control of vessels is planned to be jointly carried out by Turkey and the UN.
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.
