Turkey Optimistic about Negotiations with Russia over "Grain Initiative"

After Russia's announcement of temporarily suspending its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative [an agreement brokered by the UN with Russia and Türkiye launched on 22 July to enable ships to transport grain from Ukraine - ed.], Turkey has begun negotiations and hopes for their successful conclusion.

A Turkish official anonymously informed Bloomberg on Sunday, 30 October, that "there are reasons to be optimistic about the negotiations (with Russia)."

He also added that outbound vessels that have already reached Istanbul are being inspected Sunday and Monday, but no new grain ships will sail from Ukraine for now.

Updated at 17:20. The Ministry of Defence of Turkey officially confirmed that the negotiations with the Russian side are being conducted.

"Hulusi Akar, the Minister of National Defence (of Turkey), continues negotiations and coordination with his counterparts, while corresponding governmental bodies continue to negotiate and coordinate among themselves", – the report states.  

"At these meetings, the sides are being reminded about the importance of extending the initiative for the good of the entire humanity and told that crises can be solved through goodwill and dialogue. They are also told to avoid any kind of provocations that may hinder the continuous work of the mechanism", – the Ministry adds.

On 29 October Russia claimed that was pulling out of the "grain initiative" allegedly due to a "terrorist attack" which occurred in the Sevastopol Bay earlier that morning. The Ministry of Defence of Russia claimed that the Black Sea Fleet ships that allegedly facilitated the security of the grain corridor were the target of the Sevastopol Bay attack.

The UN commented that they are "maintaining contact" with Russian authorities after Russia pulled out of the agreement. The EU and the USA in turn have called upon Russia to resume its participation in the "grain initiative".

Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, stated that Moscow used the attack on the Russian ships in the bay of the occupied city of Sevastopol in Crimea as a reason to pull out of the "grain initiative," but that it had started taking steps towards sabotaging it long before this.

It should be mentioned that the "grain initiative" was supposed to last until November. Russia threatened to pull out of the agreement if its requirements were not fulfilled.