Erdogan to discuss grain deal, other issues with cabinet on Monday

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be discussing the grain deal between Russia and Ukraine brokered by the United Nations with his ministers during a cabinet meeting set for Monday, A Haber broadcaster reported on Sunday.

The UN-brokered deal, signed by Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine on July 22, will be expiring on November 19. It established a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships transporting food and fertilizer from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated on numerous occasions that the majority of ships carrying Ukrainian grain did not make it to the world's poorest countries and instead ended up in Europe. Moscow has also maintained that the deal's provision for Russian food products is ineffective.

Last week, UN Coordinator for the Black Sea grain deal, Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, stated that the grain agreement will not only be extended but may also be expanded.

Erdogan affirmed on Friday that "there is no obstacle to extending the shipping agreement" related to the grain deal.

Moscow and Kiev have made requests to extend the agreement, according to the official. Thus, Russia wants to resume ammonia exports, while Ukraine wants to extend the agreement for more than a year and include the port of Mykolaiv.

The Turkish cabinet will be discussing various issues other than the grain deal, including the Ukraine crisis, the bolstering of ties with the Israeli occupation, the alleged "provocations" by Greece in the Aegean Sea, the midterm elections in the United States, and the developments related to the US-Turkish deal with Washington, A Haber added.

Following years of strained relations between Turkey and the Israeli occupation, Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced in late August that his government would restore full diplomatic ties with Ankara.

The Israeli prime minister claimed that the decision is an "important asset for regional stability as well as very important economic news for Israeli citizens."

Relations between Turkey and "Israel" deteriorated due to the occupation’s policies toward Palestinians, culminating in the withdrawal of both parties' ambassadors in 2018.

Erdogan was considered by some a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause. However, he has been lately reaching out to "Israel", aiming to repair relations as Turkey's official inflation rate was at a 20-year-high in April, which posed a significant challenge to Erdogan's government.

US President Joe Biden promised Erdogan in June that he would support the sale of less advanced F-16 jets. Because of worry among top US politicians over Turkey's aggressive rhetoric toward its old opponent Greece, this has failed to garner pace in Congress, whose backing for military sales is essential.

Turkey was stripped from a program to replace a variety of fighter, strike, and ground attack aircraft for NATO allies after acquiring a Russian missile defense system in 2019.