Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in Turkey for talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Lavrov met with Cavusoglu on Thursday evening in the capital Ankara at a fast-breaking dinner. Lavrov’s first trip to Turkey since last June is said to be regarding a possible extension of the agreement on grain exports from Ukrainian ports.
Despite the “complicated international situation”, the dialogue between Russia and Turkey will continue, “mainly at the level of heads of state,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said before Lavrov’s visit began. A joint press conference was planned following the talks between the two chief diplomats, following which Lavrov was to meet Turkish President Erdogan.
In March, Russia extended the grain agreement signed by Moscow and Kiev by 60 days – what Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov described as a “goodwill gesture”. Turkey, on the other hand, had requested an extension of 120 days, as provided for in the original agreement. In return, Moscow is demanding an additional agreement on the export of Russian food and fertilizers.
Thanks to the grain agreement, a total of more than 25 million tons of grain have been exported from Ukraine so far.
Turkish President Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have close ties. The presidents regularly phone each other, and in the past year the two have also met four times in person. NATO member Turkey has long been trying to persuade Russia and Ukraine to start peace talks – hoping to build on diplomatic efforts on the grain deal.