Türkiye expects Russia, Ukraine to implement grain export deal: President

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye’s president on Monday called on the parties who signed a deal last week to unblock Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports to respect and implement the pact.

"We expect everyone to take ownership of their signatures and act in accordance with their responsibilities," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a live interview with national broadcaster TRT Haber.

"With this agreement, the effects of the global food crisis, which is reaching serious dimensions, will begin to ease," he added.

On Friday, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a landmark deal to resume grain exports through the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny after months of blockage due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

Under the deal, a joint coordination center was set up in Istanbul to carry out inspections at the entrances and exits of harbors, and to ensure the safety of the routes.

Addressing Russia's weekend attack on the port of Odesa, Erdogan said it "saddens" Türkiye, adding that "a failure here would work against all of us."