ANKARA, April 17. /TASS/. The implementation of the Black Sea grain initiative will be the focus of talks between Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and visiting Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Alexander Kubrakov, the Turkish defense ministry said on Monday.

According to the ministry, the talks will be held in the city of Kayseri, where Akar is hoping to secure a parliamentary seat at the May 14 elections.

Akar and Kubrakov met in Istanbul on April 7 to discuss the implementation of the grain deal.

According to diplomatic sources, the two ministers will discuss the situation around the grain deal in light of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ concerns over its stalled implementation and Russia’s statements that the future of the deal, which expires in May, doesn’t look too promising in terms of exports of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers.

A package of documents geared to resolve the problem of food and fertilizer supplies on global markets was signed on July 22, 2022 in Istanbul for a term of 120 days. One of the agreements regulated grain exports from the Kiev-controlled Black Sea ports. Along with that, Russia and the United Nations signed a memorandum envisaging that the UN will take steps to lift various restrictions on exports of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers on global market. The grain deal was extended for 120 days more in November. On March 18, Russia said that the deal would be extended for 60 days, arguing that this would be enough to assess the implementation of the memorandum with the UN.