Top Turkish, Russian diplomats discuss grain corridor, recent developments in Caucasus

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) - The foreign ministers of Türkiye and Russia on Monday discussed over the phone the security corridor established by the Black Sea grain deal, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

Mevlut Cavusoglu and Sergey Lavrov also discussed recent developments in the Caucasus region as well as the trilateral regional cooperation platform meeting held among Azerbaijani, Russian, and Armenian leaders in Russia's resort city of Sochi on Monday.

During the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reviewed the implementation of the trilateral agreements on Karabakh signed in 2020 and 2021 and further steps to strengthen stability and security in the southern Caucasus.

The conversation came after Russia on Saturday announced its suspension of the UN-brokered Black Sea grain export deal.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 in Istanbul to resume Black Sea grain exports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February.

A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.

Since Aug. 1, more than 9.2 million tons of grain have been carried by 408 ships under the deal, including wheat, corn, and barley, according to Turkish National Defense Ministry sources.