ISTANBUL, May 11. /TASS/. No decision on a new meeting concerning the Black Sea grain deal at the deputy ministerial level has been made following this week’s talks in Istanbul, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Thursday.

"No new meeting [on the grain deal at the level of deputy ministers] has been scheduled. But, of course, we remain in close contact with the Turkish representatives and with the UN," Vershinin told the media following two days of talks in Istanbul between representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN on the feasibility of extending the grain deal following its upcoming expiration on May 18.

"We had consultations here at the level of deputy ministers of defense and foreign affairs. This is a high level. I believe that this kind of exchange is useful for understanding the situation. We have given our assessments exhaustively and in detail," the senior diplomat added.

Agreements to enable the export of food and fertilizers to world markets were signed on July 22, 2022 in Istanbul. They were originally meant to last 120 days and were extended for another 120 days in November. Russia announced on March 18 that the deal was extended for another 60 days, saying this would be enough time to assess the effectiveness of the memorandum signed with the UN. Moscow has said repeatedly that any further extension of the deal hinges on whether the Russian part of the deal is implemented. The lack of progress in this issue jeopardizes the future of the entire initiative.

On May 10-11 representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN met in Istanbul to discuss a potential extension of the grain deal and the implementation of the Russian part of the agreement for supplies of grain and fertilizers. The security of the Black Sea grain corridor was also on the agenda.