MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will exchange views on the work of the Ukrainian grain export center at a meeting in Sochi on August 5, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"Now it (grain deal - TASS) should de facto start being inmplemented, the process will start, and this will be a good opportunity <…> to exchange views in Sochi on how it corresponds to the agreements that have been reached," the Kremlin spokesman said.
The joint grain export coordination center will officially begin work on Wednesday in Istanbul. It will be inaugurated by Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
The center was established on the basis of the four-party agreements signed on July 22 in Istanbul. It has been set up at the Turkish Defense Ministry’s university in Istanbul’s Levent neighborhood. According to Turkey’s media outlets, 20 people will work there, namely, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian military officers and UN representatives, headed by a Turkish admiral. The Russian delegation will be headed by Rear Admiral Eduard Luik. Control over the safe navigation along grain transporting routes from Ukrainian ports will be exercised around the clock.
A package of documents geared towards resolving the issue of food and fertilizer supplies on global markets was signed on July 22 in Istanbul. Under the Russia-UN memorandum, the United Nations undertakes to work toward lifting anti-Russian restrictions hampering the exports of agricultural products and fertilizers. Another document envisages a mechanism of exporting grain from Ukraine-controlled Black Sea ports. An agreement between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations provides for the establishment of a four-party coordination center to search ships carrying grain in order to prevent weapons smuggling and avoid any false flag.
Turkish authorities expect that the transportation of grain through the Black Sea to begin in the next few days.