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Italy’s Draghi hopes Russia supports UN’s initiatives on export of grain from Ukraine

Italian Prime Minister also thanked Turkey for its "mediation efforts, including regarding the unblocking of the grain"

ANKARA, July 5. /TASS/. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi expressed his hope that Russia will support the UN initiatives on export of grain from Ukrainian ports.

"We must release the stock [of grain in the ports] and fertilizer as soon as possible in order to avoid humanitarian and social catastrophe in the poorest countries of the world. During the G7 summit in Elmau, [UN Secretary General] Antonio Guterres described the outline of the plan that the UN is working on and which assigns the key role to Turkey," Draghi said during a press conference after the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. "I hope that Russia will be able to greenlight this initiative as a reconciliation signal for the future peace talks," he noted.

Draghi also thanked Turkey for its "mediation efforts, including regarding the unblocking of the grain."

The Turkish leader stated his intent to ramp up the contacts with Russia in Ukraine on establishment of the grain corridor for export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports" and to "achieve a result within 7-10 days.".