Russia: Turkiye agrees in principle to handle 1 million tons of grain for Africa

Russia said, on Wednesday, that Turkiye had agreed, in principle, to handle 1 million metric tons of grain that Russia plans to send to Africa at a discounted price with financial support from Qatar, Reuters report. 

According to the report, Moscow proposed the arrangement after quitting a year-old deal in July that had permitted Ukraine to ship grain safely from its Black Sea ports in the hope of stemming a surge in global food prices exacerbated by Russia’s invasion.

“We expect that in the near future, we’ll establish working contact with all sides to develop all of the technical aspects of the plan for these supplies,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Grushko, said.

After meeting with Turkiye’s President in Sochi on Monday, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would organise shipments of 1 million metric tons of grain to Turkiye, where it will be processed before being sent to “the poorest countries” in Africa for free. Qatar may also be involved in the initiative, the President said.

Putin added that the plan is not a replacement for the Black Sea grain deal. “There’s also Ukraine, which has its own interests. We understand all of this perfectly well. So this isn’t a substitute, but it is, of course, an enormous contribution on our part,” he said.

READ: Turkiye, Russia presidents meet in Sochi for talks