Putin, Erdogan to meet on September 4 for talks; grain deal on agenda

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Sep 2023 22:06

Erdogan and Putin plan to discuss the ongoing negotiations relating to the grain export deal.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Sochi. (AFP)

The Kremlin announced on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet in Sochi on September 4 to discuss ways to deepen their cooperation and address issues on the international agenda.

"On September 4, Sochi will host talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It is planned to discuss issues of the further development of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, as well as topical international issues," the Kremlin said in a statement.

According to the Turkish President's Chief Advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç, Erdogan and Putin plan to discuss the ongoing negotiations relating to the grain export deal.

"Russia has not made a statement about its complete withdrawal [from the grain deal]. It [Russia] has some conditions. In that sense, we see that there has been progress on some points of disagreement in the negotiations, there is hope. The latest situation will be discussed at the summit [of the Turkish and Russian presidents] on Monday. We are cautious, we hope that we will succeed," Kilic told Turkish broadcaster A Haber.

The grain deal expired on July 18, and Russia did not renew its participation due to the West failing to guarantee its end of the deal, according to Moscow.

Russian authorities said that most of the grain was being delivered to Europe instead of countries that are in need the most.

On July 28, the Russian leadership expressed during a Russia-Africa Summit that Russia remains committed to, assisting Africa with its food and energy needs.

On August 11, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said that Russian grain will be delivered to Africa free of charge in the near future.

"We will supply grain to African countries free of charge. So far, we are talking about six countries and supply volumes from 25,000 to 50,000 tons. I think that these deliveries will be carried out in the near future," Patrushev indicated.