Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday discussed with his US counterpart Antony Blinken the resumption of the previously suspended grain deal, as well as NATO enlargement, Black Sea security and the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Sputnik
ISTANBUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2023) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday discussed with his US counterpart Antony Blinken the resumption of the previously suspended grain deal, as well as NATO enlargement, Black Sea security and the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Sputnik.
"Minister Fidan discussed, in a telephone conversation held at Blinken's request, developments in the South Caucasus (region) and the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the resumption of the Black Sea Initiative, Black Sea security and NATO expansion," the source said.
On July 18, the Turkey- and UN-mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative, which provided for a humanitarian corridor to allow exports of Ukrainian grain over the past year, expired, as Russia did not renew its participation in the deal. Moscow emphasized that the deal's component on facilitating Russian grain and fertilizer exports had not been fulfilled, specifically with regard to reconnecting Russian banks to SWIFT and unblocking the Tolyatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline.
