MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/. A high-level meeting on the grain deal is scheduled for Wednesday-Thursday in Istanbul, it will be held in a quadripartite format, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told reporters on Tuesday.

"We have a high-level meeting in a four-party format in Istanbul tomorrow and the day after tomorrow," he said.

On July 22, 2022, a set of documents on supplies of food and fertilizers to the international market was signed in Istanbul. One of them approved a mechanism for the export of grain from Ukrainian-controlled Black Sea ports. Another part of these agreements concerns access to world markets for Russian foodstuffs. The Russian authorities have repeatedly pointed out the fact that the second part of the deal has never actually been implemented.

In November 2022, the deal was extended for 120 days. On March 18, Russia announced the extension of the grain deal for another 60 days, saying this would be enough time to assess the effectiveness of the memorandum signed with the UN.