Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan encouraged the EU to contribute to the expansion of the Black Sea grain agreement, Anadolu Agency reports.
Erdogan made his comments during a private conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron outside of the G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, where they spoke about their respective countries’ ties and current events in the area.
According to a statement from the nation’s Communications Directorate, Erdogan claimed that following strenuous efforts by Türkiye, the grain corridor began to operate once more.
On July 22, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine reached a pact in Istanbul to restore grain shipments from three Black Sea ports in Ukraine, which were halted since the outbreak of the Moscow-Kyiv conflict in February.
Erdogan claims that Ankara is committed to sending Russian food and fertilizers to underdeveloped nations, and the parties are now in negotiations over a potential extension and expansion beyond the agreement’s deadline of November 19.
Macron was also instructed by Erdogan that Greece should be pushed to engage in “honest, sincere, and meaningful dialogue.” According to the Turkish president, it is in everyone’s best interests for Ankara and Paris to increase their economic, defense, and energy ties.
In response, Macron expressed his condolences to Erdogan on the horrific terror incident that occurred in Istanbul on Sunday.
The Turkish authorities stated that the YPG/PKK terror group was responsible for the bombing that left at least six persons dead and 81 wounded on Sunday.
