Amid soaring food prices, Türkiye has spoken with Russia about sending grain to several African countries free of charge, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday, Yeni Safak reports.
"The most important topic Mr. (President Vladimir) Putin brought up was sending this grain to African countries free of charge, to countries such as Mali, Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia," Erdogan told Turkish journalists on the Indonesian island of Bali, where he just finished attending the G-20 summit.
"We will also contribute to its free delivery," Erdogan said he told Putin.
He also said that during their own meeting in Bali, US President Joe Biden thanked him for Türkiye's role in starting and continuing the landmark grain corridor deal.
On July 22, Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which had been paused in February due to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Days before its scheduled expiration, on Thursday the landmark Black Sea grain deal has been extended for another 120 days.
More than 10 million tons of grain have been exported from Ukraine since Aug. 1, according to the UN.
On recent US-Russian intelligence talks in Türkiye, the president said according to what he learned, neither side "will make attempts involving nuclear weapon,” addressing a major international concern.
"Of course, we want to keep them in close contact, let them meet frequently," he added.
On proposed F-16 sales to Türkiye, Erdogan said that Biden told him that he is "sensitive on the issue of F-16 jet sales," adding that Ankara will continue work on the issue.
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