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Turkey is working hard to extend the UN-backed Black Sea Agreement, which enabled continued grain transport from Ukraine during the war, says Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu.
The comment comes during this weekend’s UN conference in Doha. Cavusoglu says he has also discussed the issue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The original agreement, signed in Istanbul on July 22 last year, consisted of two separate agreements signed by the UN, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The agreement involved the establishment of a so-called grain corridor from three Ukrainian ports.
The agreement was extended at the last minute in November, but will expire on March 18 unless the parties can agree on an extension.
On Wednesday, Russia stated that it will only agree to an extension if the interests of Russian agricultural producers are taken into account.
Ukraine and Russia together account for almost a third of global wheat exports, and the grain deal has played an important role in easing the global food crisis that followed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.