ANKARA, May 17. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the grain deal had been extended by 60 days.
"I would like to break good news to the world. You know about the Black Sea grain corridor agreement, which was initiated by the intensive efforts of our country and me personally. The last extension period of the agreement, signed in Istanbul thanks to the leadership of Turkey, the constructive position of Russia and Ukraine and assistance from the UN, was to expire [on 18 May]. It was decided to extend the agreement on the Black Sea grain corridor for another two months. I wish to see this decision benefit all parties. We will continue our efforts in the future, fulfilling all terms of the agreement," the Turkish leader stressed.
Erdogan thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for their efforts.
"I express my gratitude to the President of Russia, my dear friend [Vladimir] Putin, for the sincere support he has given us in this process [of extending the grain deal]," Erdogan said on Wednesday in a speech broadcast by local TV channels. "To the President of Ukraine, Mr. [Vladimir] Zelensky, I convey my gratitude for constructive cooperation. And I thank UN Secretary-General Mr. [Antonio] Guterres for his efforts in this process," Erdogan pointed out.
He separately stressed that he had received guarantees from Russia of the unimpeded exit of Turkish vessels from the ports of Nikolayev and Olviya, located northwest of Kherson.
"Our Russian friends have notified us that they will not impede the departure of our vessels from the ports of Nikolayev and Olviya. And we are grateful to them for that," Erdogan said.
The Turkish leader expressed the hope that in the context of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, "everyone will live to see a long-term ceasefire and the establishment of peace."
Grain deal
On July 22, 2022, a package of documents was signed in Istanbul on the supply of food and fertilizers to the international market. The arrangements were originally concluded for 120 days, and later extended for the same period last November. On 18 March 2023, Russia announced a 60-day extension of the deal. It warned that this would be enough to assess the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told the media after the May 10-11 talks by delegations from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN in Istanbul that the grain deal would expire, if Moscow had no guarantees that its demands would be met by May 18. They concern the exports of agricultural products and fertilizers, reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT system and a number of other issues.