Turkish
Defence Minister HulusiAkar said on Sunday12 March that he believes that a deal
allowing Ukrainian grain to be exported via the Black Sea will be extended from
its current March 18 deadline.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative,
brokered between Russia and Ukraine by the United Nations and Turkey last July,
aimed to prevent a global food crisis by allowing Ukrainian grain blockaded by
Russia’s invasion to be safely exported from three Ukrainian ports.
The deal
was extended for 120 days in November and will renew on March 18 if no party
objects. However, Moscow has already signaled it will only agree to
an extension if restrictions affecting its own exports are lifted.
Turkey
has said previously that it is working hard to extend the deal. “In separate
talks with the Russian and Ukrainian sides, we saw that both sides are
approaching this positively. We believe it will conclude positively,” Akar said
in an interview with state-owned Anadolu Agency.
“We have the opinion that the
duration will be extended on March 18,” he added.
Russia’s
agricultural exports have not been explicitly targeted by the West, but
Moscow says sanctions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries are a
barrier to it being able to export its own grains and fertilizers.
Russia
has complained that Ukrainian grain exported under the deal is going to wealthy
countries.
Ukraine and Russia are both major
global suppliers of grains and fertilizers.