Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 2 called on Russian President Vladimir Putin not to let tensions escalate. “Any action that would heighten the tension in the Russia-Ukraine war should not be taken,” Erdogan said on Monday after Russia attacked key facilities for transporting agricultural products from Ukraine.
Erdogan also stressed the importance of the agricultural agreement, calling it a “bridge to peace,” the Turkish presidency’s office said, Agence France-Presse reported.
Erdogan also told Putin that the long-term failure of the Black Sea agricultural agreement “is not in everyone’s interest,” the Turkish presidency said, and that poor countries would be hit the hardest.
The Black Sea agricultural product agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July last year allowed safe export of Ukrainian agricultural products that had been blocked by the Russian-Ukrainian war, but the agreement was terminated last month after Russia withdrew.
Erdogan also mentioned that the price of agricultural products, which fell by 23% when the agreement was implemented, has risen by 15% in the past two weeks. He vowed that Turkey would “intensify its efforts” through diplomacy to restore the deal.
Erdogan played a key role in brokering the now-collapsed Black Sea grain deal and has positioned himself as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ukraine said on Aug. 2 that Russia had attacked port infrastructure in the southern Ukrainian state of Odessa, targeting facilities used to export agricultural products after the deal collapsed. Ukrainian prosecutors said a produce elevator, several produce and warehouses were damaged or destroyed in the attack.
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2023-08-03 00:39:15
