MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2022) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is working with Russian President Vladimir Putin on finding ways to overcome the food crisis in "underdeveloped" countries in Africa.
"During our last talks with Mr. Putin, we took steps to find out what we can give to underdeveloped or undeveloped countries in Africa... in addition to grain. What was it? Fertilizers. It's not just grain... Because in these countries where there is a severe drought, it is also necessary to eliminate this problem using fertilizers... I hope we will overcome this issue," Erdogan said on Sunday, as quoted by Turkish daily Yeni Safak.
Turkish media reported on Sunday that Erdogan will discuss the UN-brokered grain deal, set to expire on November 19, with his ministers during a cabinet meeting on Monday, October 24.
On Friday, the Turkish president said that there were no obstacles to extending the Istanbul grain deal.
On July 22, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey signed an UN-brokered initiative to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. However, Putin has repeatedly said that most of the ships carrying Ukrainian grain did not make it to the world's poorest countries and ended up in Europe. Moscow has also maintained that the part of the deal concerning Russian food products was not working.
Earlier in October, UN Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative Amir Mahmoud Abdulla said that the grain deal was likely to be extended and, possibly, expanded.
