By KYIV. Sept 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The U.S. Department of State welcomes Turkey’s efforts to restart the Black Sea Grain Initiative despite no significant breakthroughs following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Monday, CNN reported.
“We welcome the efforts of Turkey and other countries to convince Russia to return to the deal. We are engaging with the United Nations and with Turkey, both of whom have worked very hard to make BSGI (Black Sea Grain Initiative) both possible and functional,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that Russia’s decision to terminate its participation in the initiative “hurts communities vulnerable to food insecurity around the world.”
Earlier, Turkey and the UN initiated a grain agreement, which made it possible to export grain from Ukrainian ports in a war. The State Department thanked Turkey for its important diplomatic and operational efforts aimed at reaching a new agreement.
As reported, on Monday, Erdogan and Putin held talks in Russia on the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which were unsuccessful.
