Turkey, UN working on proposals for Russia on grain deal – Source

ANKARA, August 23 (Sputnik) – Turkey and the United Nations are working on proposals for Russia to resume the Black Sea Grain Initiative, but issues, mainly concerning banking processes, exist, a source participating in the negotiations process has told Sputnik.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his video address to the BRICS Business Forum on Tuesday that Russia is ready to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative if all obligations towards Moscow are “actually fulfilled.”

“Some proposals from our side in contact with the United Nations are being worked on. Not everything is perfect yet, there are unresolved problems with banking issues. Discussions are underway,” the source said.

The source also noted that possible visits of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Russia may facilitate the restoration of the grain deal taking into account interests of all parties.

“We very much hope that these possible visits will give impetus to the process. And the talks of the Turkish leader and the foreign minister [in Russia] will become effective for our initiative [the Black Sea grain deal], which we hope to restore, taking into account all sides,” the source said.

On Tuesday, Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reported that Erdogan would visit Russia in the near future and discuss the grain deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Fidan will reportedly visit both Russia and Ukraine.

Russia announced in July that its UN- and Turkey-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine was effectively over because its demands were repeatedly ignored.

Russia was promised at the signing of the pact in June 2022 that its food and fertilizer exports would be exempted from Western sanctions but no curbs were lifted.