World leaders hail Türkiye's mediation role in Russia-Ukraine war: Erdogan

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - World leaders at Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit appreciated Türkiye's role in de-escalating tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war, the Turkish president has said.

"Almost all of the leaders I met especially thanked us for the role we played in reducing tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war. They said, 'We really appreciate and congratulate you for your role here'," Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday told reporters on the presidential plane en route to New York from Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Erdogan attended the SCO summit as a special guest at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Türkiye took part at the presidential level for the first time since getting the dialogue partner status in the organization in 2012.

Erdogan said Türkiye has been following a balanced policy between Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the war in February.

"Of course, the most important thing is the grain corridor issue," he said, adding that he talked about this issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit.

Erdogan said they agreed that the least developed countries should benefit from the grain corridor rather than the developed ones.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began.

Previously, Erdogan echoed Putin, saying the Ukrainian grain is exported to wealthy countries, not to those in need.

"In the next process, I hope we will make this corridor work in the most ideal way," Erdogan said.

Asked about restrictions on Russia's fertilizer exports, Erdogan said Türkiye is in talks with relevant countries on all kinds of products (either grain or fertilizer) coming from both Russia and Ukraine.

"Since we have taken the steps with such mutual negotiation and consultation until now, no serious falsity has emerged yet. In our meeting with Putin, we agreed that this process should be continued with the same caution," he added.

Putin on Friday urged the UN to push the EU to lift its sanctions blocking Russian fertilizer exports to developing countries. He pointed out that the bloc had eased curbs to let in Russian fertilizers to Europe, but was unwilling to do the same for developing countries outside the continent.

- Türkiye 'targets' SCO membership

"Since its establishment, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has covered serious distances in the fields of security, economy, and trade, and has continued to expand within this framework. The decisive role played by the Asian continent in the global economy is already evident," Erdogan said.

After attending this year's SCO summit as a dialogue partner, Türkiye might take a further step in the 2023 summit in India, Erdogan said, adding that Ankara "targets" membership.

The president said Türkiye is firm in further developing its cooperation with continental countries at bilateral and multilateral levels.

Established in 2001, the eight-member organization aims to strengthen friendly, good neighborly relations and mutual trust among member states.