Turkish FM discusses grain deal with US Secretary Antony Blinken

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
8 Jun 2023 14:05

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discuss the grain deal, Sweden's accession to NATO, and Turkey-Armenia relations among other topics via phone call.

A Turkish flag is displayed next to the flag of the United States, August 25 2018 (Reuters)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke through a phone call on Thursday where they discussed the grain deal and Sweden's accession to NATO among other topics, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

"Today (on June 8), Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Mister Blinken congratulated Minister Fidan on his new appointment," the Ministry said.

"The issues of Sweden's membership in NATO, the processes of normalization of Turkey-Armenia and Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, the purchase and modernization of F-16s, as well as the Ukrainian grain deal were discussed," the Turkish Foreign Ministry explained.

Both officials expressed their willingness to meet sequentially at the nearest time possible to discuss common interests.

Hakan Fidan was recently appointed as Foreign Minister by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, succeeding Mevlut Cavusoglu who held the position for more than 7 years. Fidan previously served as the Director of the National Intelligence Organization.

One of the discussed topics, the Grain Deal, has been a continuous cause of worry for the safety of the world's supply chain. In May 17 the concerned parties agreed to renew the agreement after several worrisome weeks during which talks on the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative were thought to have come to a stalemate.

"With the efforts of our country, the support of our Russian friends, the contribution of our Ukrainian friends, it was decided to prolong the Black Sea grain deal for two more months," Erdogan announced one day before the deal was due to expire.

Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey signed an UN-brokered agreement on July 22 to establish a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships transporting food and fertilizers from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

The deal was extended on March 18 for a period of 60 days instead of the 120-day period originally specified in the agreement.

The grain export deal has helped ease the global food crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine and the Western sanctions against Russia.

According to the United Nations, more than 24.1 million tonnes of grain have been exported under the agreement until March. But the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed in October 2022 that only a quarter of the grain exported under the BSGI is going to low-income countries.

Agriculture ministers of the G7 member states considered on April 23 that the deal is vital to the "EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes" and announced their support for extending and expanding the deal.