ISTANBUL, July 31. /TASS/. Turkey is not giving up on its efforts to resume the Black Sea Grain Initiative and has regular communication on this issue with the UN, Russia and Ukraine, a local diplomatic source said on Monday.
The talks are being conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense and in close coordination between departments, the source added.
"Negotiations are underway. In Turkey they proceed from the fact that the grain initiative contributes to ensuring food security," the source said.
The official also said that Ankara is pinning its hopes to resume the deal on the upcoming phone and in person talks between Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan.
The leaders of the two countries are expected to discuss the grain deal by telephone on August 2. During that conversation, the date of the face-to-face meeting between the presidents may be defined.
The grain deal ended on July 17. Last week, speaking at the plenary session of the Russia-Africa forum, Putin said that Russia had originally agreed to participate in the deal on the condition that its terms to remove illegitimate obstacles to the supply of grain and fertilizers from Russia to world markets would be observed. But none of these conditions was met.
In turn, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin noted that the grain deal could be resumed "in a new form," but this requires concrete action on the part of the West.