ADDS MORE STATEMENTS BY RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN
By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said that cooperation between Türkiye and Russia in a wide range of areas is going successfully.
“The multifaceted cooperation between Russia and Türkiye, which is based on the principles of good neighborliness, partnership, and mutual benefit, is successfully developing in all areas,” Putin told a press conference in the coastal city of Sochi with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Saying that he and Erdogan discussed key issues in a spirit of bilateral cooperation, Putin said that the talks were held in a “constructive and businesslike atmosphere.”
“We exchanged views on current topics on the international and regional agenda," Putin said, adding: "Without doubt, today's talks will serve to further develop Russian-Turkish partnership in all areas."
Putin went on to express that he and Erdogan noted the continued growth in trade between the two countries, adding that the trade volume rose 86% to a record $62 billion at the end of 2022, which later grew by another 4% in the first half of this year.
- 'Russia will always be a reliable, responsible supplier of gas'
Putin also touched on the topic of energy, saying that Russian-Turkish cooperation in the energy sector is of a "truly strategic nature," and that Russia delivered 21.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to Türkiye via the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines.
"Russia has always been and will always be a reliable and responsible supplier of gas. We intend to continue to provide the Turkish economy with this cheap but highly efficient and environmentally friendly type of fuel. Moreover, we are ready to export gas in transit through Türkiye to consumers in third countries, where our partners are interested," Putin said.
Saying that over 10 bcm were transported from Russia to Türkiye this January to August, Putin said that Russian gas giant Gazprom handed over a draft roadmap for implementation of a Turkish gas hub project to the Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS).
"On the agenda is the establishment of a joint working group, the coordination of the legal framework for the operation of the hub, the schemes for trading and transferring purchased gas," he said.
Putin added that Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom continues to build the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, and that Russian nuclear fuel was delivered to the plant in April, thus making Türkiye a part of "states possessing peaceful nuclear technologies."
- 'West deceived Russia about humanitarian goals of grain deal'
Putin said that he and Erdogan also discussed the situation surrounding the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which halted in July after Moscow announced it was suspending its participation.
Saying that Russia was "forced" to make this decision due to continuing Western sanctions on Russian agricultural products, Putin argued that the West deceived his country about the humanitarian goals of the grain deal.
"Because of the 32.8 million tons of cargo exported from Ukraine, more than 70% ... went to wealthy countries, primarily to EU countries. Whereas the share of states really in need of food aid accounted for only 3%, that is, it is less than one million tons," Putin said.
"And while Russia clearly provided security guarantees for shipping under this deal, the other side used humanitarian corridors for terrorist attacks on Russian civilian and military facilities,” he added, referring to Ukraine. “This cannot be tolerated any longer."
Putin went on to say he told Erdogan that Russia will consider revival of the grain deal "as soon as all the agreements on lifting restrictions set out in it are fully implemented for exports of Russian agricultural products."
"For its part, Russia, despite all the obstacles put in place, intends to continue exporting food and fertilizers, help stabilize prices and improve the situation in the global agricultural industry ... In this sense, we also count on the help of the state of Qatar, which, for humanitarian reasons, is ready to support the poorest countries," he added.
He also said that Moscow is close to finalizing an agreement with six African states for the free supply and procurement of grain, and that their delivery will begin in "the next couple of weeks."