Russia-Türkiye agreed to discuss delivery of grain to Africa in G-20: Erdoğan

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Nov. 4 said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on the priority of delivering grain and fertilizers to the least developed countries, and they will raise the issue at the upcoming in G-20 Summit in Indonesia’s Bali.

“During our phone call, Putin told me, ‘Let’s send the grain to underdeveloped countries for free.’ In that, we were on the same page. Delivering the grain in Ukraine to the least developed countries should be a priority,” Erdoğan said at the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association’s (MUSIAD) EXPO.

The world has been going through a painful period for the last 3 years, which started with a pandemic and then continued with conflicts, the president emphasized.

The pressure of excessively increasing energy, food and raw material prices on the economies will continue for a while and most countries are experiencing despair, he added.

“Unfortunately, no effort has been made to end these tragedies that led to the death of millions of people. It is a shame that Western countries, which teach the rest of the world a lesson in humanity, are indifferent to this tragedy,” he stated.

Erdoğan also said that some of the Islamic world were also “deaf to the cries of the oppressed and aggrieved.”

“We will ensure that grain delivery will reach every country in need, starting with Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan, which are struggling with a severe food crisis and famine,” he stated.

Erdoğan also slammed at the mentality perceiving Europe as a “garden” and the rest of the world as “wild.”

“We do not expect those who carry out colonialism using new ways and methods to take a conscientious attitude towards crises,” he stated.

Moscow had said on Oct. 29 that it was temporarily pulling out of the grain deal, accusing Ukraine of using a safe shipping corridor established under the agreement to launch a drone assault on its Black Sea fleet.

Türkiye and the United Nations - who brokered the July deal - engaged in intense diplomacy to save the agreement designed to ease the global food crisis caused by the Russian war in Ukraine.