Turkish foreign minister to visit Russia for talks

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay a working visit to Russia on Aug. 31-Sept. 1, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"During the visit, issues on our bilateral agenda as well as regional and global developments will be discussed," the ministry said in a statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected to visit Russia soon to meet with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Black Sea grain deal.

Currently, Türkiye continues its efforts to revive the Black Sea grain deal and says that there is no alternative to the initiative.

On July 17, Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by Türkiye and the UN, to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports that were paused after the Ukraine war started in February 2022.

Moscow has repeatedly complained that the West has not met its obligations regarding Russia's own grain exports. It says restrictions on payments, logistics, and insurance have been a barrier to its shipments.

Ankara has been carrying out intense efforts for the restoration of the July 2022 deal and has also called on Kyiv and Moscow to end the war through negotiations.