President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called on Western countries to take action on addressing Russia's expectations regarding the Black Sea grain deal, as he warned Moscow's withdrawal from the wartime initiative would have a significant negative impact.
"The termination of the Black Sea grain deal will have a series of consequences, ranging from the increase in global food prices to scarcity in certain regions and, potentially, leading to new waves of migration," Erdoğan told reporters on a flight returning from a trip to Gulf countries and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Russia this week quit the deal, which was brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye in Julşy 2022 and allowed the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain for the past year, and revoked guarantees of safe navigation. Since then, no ships have sailed from Ukrainian ports.
Erdoğan said his planned talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin could lead to restoration of the initiative and called on Western countries to consider Russia's demands.
"I believe that by thoroughly discussing the matter with President Putin, we can ensure the continuation of this humanitarian effort," he added.
Moscow says it will return to the deal only if its demands are met for easier access to its own food and fertilizer exports to world markets. Western countries say Russia has had no trouble selling food, which is exempt from financial sanctions.
"We are aware that President Putin also has certain expectations from Western countries, and it is crucial for these countries to take action in this regard," Erdoğan said.
Russia pounded Ukrainian food export facilities for a fourth day in a row on Friday and practiced seizing ships in the Black Sea in an escalation of what Western leaders say is an attempt to wriggle out of sanctions by threatening a global food crisis.
Erdoğan repeated earlier remarks that he hoped Putin would visit Türkiye in August. He added that he might soon have a phone call with the Russian leader before a possible face-to-face meeting.
"I believe that, without prolonging the process, we will ensure the continuation of the Black Sea grain initiative."
"Russia has some expectations. If these are met, Russia is in favor of active operation of this grain corridor," he added.
Under the landmark deal, more than 33 million tons of grain have been shipped from Ukrainian ports.
"The continuation of such a vital initiative in terms of its results is for the benefit of humanity," Erdoğan said and stressed Türkiye does not hesitate to take the initiative to prevent the fallout.
He stressed they would "use all instruments of diplomacy and concentrate all our efforts" to ensure the continuation of the landmark accord.
"A consensus has been reached that serves humanity in a war environment, and we will do our best to keep it going," he added.
Gulf's trust in Türkiye's economy, industry
Meanwhile, Erdoğan also elaborated on his three-stop Gulf tour, during which Türkiye sought to expand cooperation and signed multiple lucrative deals with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.
Agreements signed with the UAE on Wednesday are estimated to be worth $50.7 billion and include deals on energy and natural resources development, space and defense cooperation.
As part of the package, the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to finance up to $8.5 billion of Türkiye earthquake relief bonds. An MoU with the Export Credit Bank of Türkiye will see ADQ also finance up to $3 billion in credit facilities to support Turkish exports.
There is a substantial potential between Türkiye and the UAE in the areas of trade and investment, Erdoğan said.
"With the joint agreement we signed, we have raised our relations to the level of a strategic partnership. We established a high-level strategic council mechanism. With the establishment of the mechanism, we have provided a platform where we can discuss issues on our agenda at the highest level," he noted.
Reaping the benefits of Erdoğan's diplomatic efforts, Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to buy Turkish drones in the biggest defense contract in Türkiye's history. The deal included joint production.
Erdoğan said Türkiye has entered a new era in its bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia, adding that Ankara furthered its cooperation with five agreements it signed with Riyadh.
Türkiye and Qatar marked the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations, he noted, adding that he agreed with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to further extend "excellent" cooperation in various fields.
Gulf Arab states have launched ambitious plans to diversify their economy from oil, hoping Türkiye would help with developing local industries and technology transfer.
The Gulf visit saw the signing of "the biggest" defense and aerospace export contracts in Türkiye's history, Erdoğan said.
"All these agreements, beyond their monetary rewards, are signs of the Gulf countries' trust in Türkiye's economy and industry," he added.
Transfer of Israeli gas
Asked about Israeli media reports on transferring Israel's natural gas from the Mediterranean to Europe via Türkiye, Erdoğan said: "The healthiest project here is to deliver natural gas to Europe via Türkiye."
Otherwise, natural gas shipment costs from the Mediterranean to Europe are too high, he said.
Erdoğan said if the natural gas is transferred through Türkiye, Ankara will have entered a profitable process for using the gas and will also have the opportunity to transfer it to Europe at a certain rate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to travel to Türkiye on July 28 to hold talks with Erdoğan, both leaders' offices said late Thursday.
Relations between Türkiye and Israel have improved over the past year after several years of tension, with several high-level visits, including that of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
"By taking this step, this is the first time we are making contact with Netanyahu. It is my hope that this development will be the beginning of a much warmer period in Turkish-Israeli ties," Erdoğan said.
The visit will mark a first by an Israeli prime minister since Ehud Olmert in 2008. Netanyahu will be received a few days after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is expected to arrive in Türkiye on July 25.
Türkiye's diplomatic drive comes at a time when the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is at a standstill, against a backdrop of the worst violence in years in the occupied West Bank.
Oil output to double
Among others, Erdoğan emphasized Türkiye would continue to ramp up its oil production, driven mainly by reserves recently discovered in the country's south.
Türkiye, in early May, announced it had discovered 1 billion barrels of oil in a field in the southeast province of Şırnak, the largest onshore oil find in the country.
The well, called Martyr Aybüke Yalçın-1 and located 20 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of the town of Cizre, currently produces some 10,000 barrels of oil daily, according to the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO).
Türkiye discovered 150 million barrels of oil in the southeast's Mount Gabar area in December 2022, which Erdoğan dubbed "one of the top 10 onshore discoveries in 2022" and said it was valued at approximately $12 billion.
"The positive reflection of Gabar oil on the economy will begin in 2024," Erdoğan said, stressing the country would have doubled its oil production to 100,000 barrels per day as of 2024.
"We will drill about 100 wells. Currently, we are directing all drilling machines in Türkiye and neighboring countries to there. There are miles of roads being made in the mountains. There is a lot of feverish work going on," he explained.
Türkiye, which has little oil and gas, imports nearly all of its energy needs. The country consumed 246 million barrels of imported crude oil in 2022, besides 29 million barrels of locally produced crude oil, according to official data.
Türkiye depends on imports from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.
Ankara has started developing a 710 billion cubic meter natural gas field in the Black Sea, which was discovered gradually in August 2020. In April, it started pumping natural gas into the national grid.