Ankara agrees 'on principle' to process 1mn tons of grain for Africa: Moscow
The project to deliver Russian grain to the poorest nations in the African continent will have financial support from Qatar
Turkiye has agreed "on principle” to process one million metric tons of grain that the Kremlin plans to ship to the poorest nation in Africa at a discounted price as part of a project that has financial support from Qatar.
“All agreements in principle have been reached. We expect that in the near future, we will enter into working contacts with all parties to work out all the technical aspects of the scheme for such deliveries,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told reporters on 6 September.
"The joint project of Russia, Turkiye, and Qatar on the delivery of one million metric tons of grain from Russia for processing in Turkiye with subsequent gratis transportation to the poorest countries is very much-in-demand," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. "Especially that it refers to approximately the same volume of food that was sent to the needy countries within the Black Sea Initiative framework over the year," it noted.
The arrangement was put forth by the Kremlin after quitting a year-old in July that permitted Ukrainian grain to safely cross the Black Sea. Russia and Ukraine are the world’s largest wheat exporters.
Russia blamed western countries for failing to honor their commitments within the UN and Turkish-brokered deal, which included guarantees to facilitate the export of Russian wheat and fertilizers. Furthermore, Moscow accused European nations of hoarding Ukrainian wheat instead of making it available for poor nations.
President Vladimir Putin revealed details of the plan to send one million tons of grain to Africa earlier this month during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We are close to completing agreements with six African states, where we intend to supply foodstuffs for free and even carry out delivery and logistics for free … Deliveries will begin in the next couple of weeks,” Putin said on 4 September.