Turkey is in talks with Russia and Ukraine to free Ukrainian agricultural exports that have been stuck as a result of the war, presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said on Tuesday.
“We have been having talks by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other institutions for a while, with the Ukrainian side, the Russian side and the United Nations on this issue,” he added. Kalın stressed that transporting the grains, edible oils, and fertilizers from Ukraine and Russia is of “great importance” and noted failing to do so immediately would exacerbate the war-induced global food crisis.
Kalın said that the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has conveyed his willingness to host the leaders of Russia and Ukraine—Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky—in Turkey and start negotiations regarding facilitating agricultural exports as well as ending the war. He added that Erdoğan will also discuss the matter with a Russian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that is scheduled to arrive in Ankara next week.
Turkey and Russia will discuss a sea corridor for agricultural exports from Ukraine on June 8
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) May 31, 2022
As mediation fails, Turkey is playing an increasingly assertive role in ameliorating food insecurity
Moreover, Erdoğan told Zelensky, during a phone conversation on Monday that “he attached special importance to the project of establishing a safe corridor for the exportation of Ukrainian agricultural products by sea.”
Last week, Reuters reported that Ankara, Moscow, and Kyiv are in talks to open a corridor via the Bosphorus Strait for Ukrainian grain exports. Ukraine has been unable to ship more than 20 million tonnes of grain since its Black Sea ports were blocked by Russia at the onset of its invasion in February. Russian exporters have also found it extremely hard to ship commodities due to Western sanctions.
ICYMI How a #Ukraine-#Russia conflict can bring on a severe food crisis in #MENA/#Africa explained in one map 👇
— Prof. Michael Tanchum (@michaeltanchum) January 25, 2022
➡️On #Tunisia, #Algeria, & #Morocco, see my
report https://t.co/p6AMThBFoB
➡️On #Turkey, my article https://t.co/ShDF6wDEd0#shipping #wheat #ags #Egypt #Nigeria https://t.co/6IXhadnsqr
Russia and Ukraine together account for over 20% of wheat exports and almost 80% of global sunflower oil exports. Ukraine is also a major exporter of grains like corn and barley, while Russia dominates the global fertiliser market and accounts for over 30% of global potash exports.
Against this backdrop, countries dependent on Kyiv and Moscow for agricultural supplies have been facing severe food shortages and rising prices food prices. The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that war in Ukraine could double food prices, further exacerbating the already spiralling humanitarian crisis, especially in countries like Lebanon and Yemen.
🌽Food crisis in four charts🌽:
— Ben Butcher (@bienbutcher) March 18, 2022
🇷🇺 Russia and 🇺🇦 Ukraine export around 15% of all cereals globally, according to UN Comtrade.
In particular, they represent a significant amount of imports for some v large countries, including 🇵🇰 Pakistan, 🇪🇬 Egypt and 🇹🇷 Turkey pic.twitter.com/ouX4nRnpgE
Erdoğan also told Zelensky that Turkey is interested in hosting talks between Russia and Ukraine. He said that Turkey has so far “made every effort for the continuation of the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia” and his country is “ready from now on to provide any needed help, including mediation.”
Similarly, during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day, Erdoğan urged that Moscow take “steps that would minimise the negative effects of the war and build trust by restoring as soon as possible the ground for peace between Russia and Ukraine.” He also reiterated Turkey’s readiness to host talks involving Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, and United Nations negotiators. He stressed that Ankara would like to “assume a role in a possible observation mechanism.”
🇷🇺🇺🇦 - Russia and Ukraine are among world's largest exporters of wheat
— Agathe Demarais (@AgatheDemarais) May 24, 2022
• War in Ukraine key threat to global food security, notably in poorer, emerging countries
• Most exposed countries include
🇪🇬 Egypt
🇹🇷 Turkey
🇵🇰 Pakistan
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
🇱🇧 Lebanon pic.twitter.com/uojmQoaryx
Turkey’s efforts to hold negotiations between the two warring parties were hailed by the United States (US). State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday that Washington supports Ankara’s efforts to mediate that war and facilitate the export of agricultural supplies. Price also welcomed the upcoming visit of Lavrov to Turkey and said he hoped the meeting would result in the resumption of agricultural exports from Ukraine.
Since the outbreak of the war on February 24, Turkey has called on Russia and Ukraine to come to the negotiating table and has expressed its readiness to host talks. In fact, in March, Turkey hosted negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations and vowed to hold more talks at a later date.