Turkish, Russian leaders underline importance of Russia's exports of grain, fertilizers

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday underlined the importance of exports of Russia's grain and fertilizers.

In a joint statement after a wide-ranging four-hour meeting in the Russian city of Sochi, the two leaders confirmed that the constructive relations between Ankara and Moscow played a role in reaching last month’s historic deal on the safe transportation of grain and food products from Ukrainian ports

On July 22, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal in Istanbul to reopen three Ukrainian ports for exports of Ukraine grain, which had been stuck for months due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

At the Sochi meeting, the two leaders underlined the need for full implementation of the Istanbul deal, including exports of raw materials necessary for Russia's grain and fertilizer production, according to the statement.

Erdogan and Putin also underlined the importance of the political process to reach a lasting solution in war-torn Syria and reaffirmed their determination to act in solidarity to fight terrorist groups there.

The leaders reaffirmed their readiness to advance bilateral relations, despite the current regional and global challenges, "on the basis of mutual respect."

During the talks, Erdogan and Putin agreed to boost the bilateral trade volume and to take concrete steps to strengthen cooperation in the areas of energy, trade, and the economy.

The leaders also stressed their strong commitment to Libya's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national unity. According to the statement, they highlighted the importance of holding free, fair and credible elections among Libyans, and reiterated their support for the Libyan-led political process under UN auspices.

After the talks in Sochi, Erdogan and Putin agreed to hold the next meeting of the Turkish-Russian High-Level Cooperation Council in Türkiye.