The recently signed deal on grain exports from Ukraine could pave the way for new cease-fire talks between warring sides Kyiv and Moscow, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said on Tuesday.
Kalın’s words came following a meeting with U.S. Congressman Jason Crow who had been in Ankara together with his accompanying delegation to discuss a wide range of bilateral and regional issues.
On Turkey’s role in the recent U.N.-backed grain deal with Russia and Ukraine, Crow said the accord was an important step toward resolving the global food crisis.
Ankara is playing a critical role in this process, he highlighted, after the first grain-laden ship departed from the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Monday.
Turkey, the U.N., Russia and Ukraine signed the deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports – Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny – for grain that has been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its sixth month.
To oversee Ukrainian grain exports, a joint coordination center in Istanbul was officially opened on Wednesday, comprising of representatives from Turkey, the Uniteed Nations, Russia and Ukraine to enable the safe transportation by merchant ships of commercial foodstuffs and fertilizers from the three key Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
Kalın said this agreement could create an environment of trust to pave the way for new cease-fire negotiations, adding that Turkey’s efforts in this direction continue.
Also, Ankara will continue to base its policy on peace and stability for the entire region, including the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas, Kalın added, underlining that Turkey would not compromise its determined stance to protect its national interests and legitimate rights.
On the country's normalization process with Armenia, Kalın said the initiative would contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity, and that these efforts should be supported by the international community.
Ankara and Yerevan last December appointed special representatives for talks on normalizing ties, with the first meeting held in Moscow on Jan. 14. The parties have held four meetings so far.
As part of normalization efforts, Turkey and Armenia resumed commercial flights this February after a two-year hiatus.
Counterterrorism efforts were another issue on the agenda of the two officials.
In the fight against terrorism, Kalın underlined that all terror groups – including Daesh and the PKK, along with its Syrian branch the YPG – threaten Turkey’s national security, and Syria's territorial integrity and political unity. They should be fought with determination without discrimination, he stressed.
Turkish officials had recently been criticizing the U.S. for praising YPG leaders that lost their lives while also wishing condolences to fallen Turkish soldiers that were killed as a result of terrorist attacks, highlighting that the two cannot be equaled.