ANKARA, October 13. /TASS/. Talks on supplying Russian grain to African countries with assistance from Turkey and Qatar are ongoing, a diplomat in Ankara told TASS.

"The dialogue on Russian grain supplies to African countries involving Turkey and Qatar is ongoing. The discussions on this issue remain active. Administrative barriers should be removed to launch the supplies," he explained.

The diplomat was talking about supplying 1 mln metric tons of Russian grain to Turkey that should be milled into flour before sending to African countries.

On August 31, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, held talks in Moscow. They discussed the Black Sea grain deal and parameters of the implementation of the proposed initiative to supply 1 mln metric tons of Russian grain to Turkey at a preferential price with Qatar providing financial backing. On September 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed this issue at their bilateral meeting in Sochi.