ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th November, 2022) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the situation around the Black Sea grain initiative at the Cabinet meeting on Monday, a source in Istanbul told Sputnik.
On October 29, Russia suspended its participation in the UN-mediated grain deal after its ships were attacked by Ukraine in the Black Sea. On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Moscow was returning to the deal after receiving written guarantees from Ukraine on refraining from using the grain corridor for military purposes, following mediation by Turkey and the UN. Kiev denied providing any additional guarantees.
"Tomorrow... a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will take place. Situation in Ukraine and around the grain corridor, membership of Finland and Sweden in NATO, tensions with Greece and request for supplies of F-16 (fighter jets) will be on the agenda," the source said, adding that Erdogan would address the nation following the meeting.
On July 22, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey signed a UN-brokered initiative to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships exporting food and fertilizer from Ukraine via the Black Sea. The deal will expire on November 19.
After returning to the grain deal, the Kremlin said that Russia was still undecided about extending it, and is yet to assess its effectiveness. Moscow has repeatedly said the agreement is not effective in bringing grain and fertilizer to developing countries, while sanctions continue to hinder Russia's food exports even though the deal was supposed to guarantee their free flow to global markets.
