MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, discussed in a phone conversation on Tuesday alternative options for supplying grain to the world’s neediest countries that would not be disrupted by the subversive actions of the Kiev regime and the West.
"As an alternative to the [now defunct] Black Sea Grain Initiative, the ministers considered other options for delivering grain to the neediest countries that would not be in thrall to the subversive actions of the Kiev regime and its Western handlers," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Additionally, the sides exchanged views on the regional agenda "with an emphasis on the latest events surrounding Ukraine." "It was agreed to continue the interaction," the Foreign Ministry noted.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the sides discussed the results of cooperation within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. "Lavrov stated that, due to the non-implementation of the Russian provisions of the Russia-UN memorandum’s package agreements, in particular, the continued blocking of Russian bank payments, insurance and transport logistics, the freezing of our foreign assets and [the resulting blocking of] deliveries of domestic agricultural products and fertilizers to global markets, as well as the de facto loss of the [initially intended] humanitarian objectives of the deal, which was blatantly commercialized by the Kiev regime, the implementation of the [Istanbul] grain agreements was terminated as of July 18," the diplomatic agency added.
"In practical terms, this means the revocation of guarantees for the safety of maritime traffic and the resumption of a temporary danger area regime in the northwestern waters of the Black Sea, as well as the curtailing of the humanitarian maritime corridor in the agreement zone and the disbanding of the Istanbul Joint Coordination Center," the ministry concluded.
The two top diplomats also touched upon a number of issues pertaining to bilateral ties.
The conversation was held at the initiative of the Turkish side.
About the grain deal
The Black Sea grain deal ceased to function on July 17. After agreeing several times since the inception of the grain deal in July 2022 to extend the agreement to provide a shipping corridor across the Black Sea for vessels carrying Ukrainian grain, Moscow reiterated that the Russia-related provisions of the accords were never implemented. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian side would consider resurrecting the grain initiative as soon as its conditions were met.