Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State, answered journalists’ questions at the press conference.
Patel said Russia’s decision to end the Black Sea Grain Initiative has hurt societies around the world struggling with food insecurity.
Noting that President Erdogan made an effort to return Russia to an agreement during his visit to Sochi, Russia, Patel said, “We thank President Erdogan and our NATO ally Turkey for their important role in relaunching the Black Sea Grain Initiative.” .
“We want the Black Sea Grain Initiative to start again”
“Does the US see the Danube River route as an alternative to the Black Sea Grain Initiative?” Answering the question, Patel stated that the priority of the USA is Russia’s return to the initiative and said, “Of course, we are evaluating what other options there are for food products to reach the places they need to go.”
Stating that he has not yet made an announcement on the subject, Patel said, “We want the Black Sea Grain Initiative to start again, we’ve seen it work.”
“We believe that the initiative should be continued by eliminating the deficiencies”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, said, “All parties know about Russia’s expectations for the resumption of the initiative. We have also expressed and expressed the points raised by our Russian friends on different occasions. We sincerely shared our views on this matter with my dear friend in our bilateral meeting. In this context, we prepared a new proposal package with significant progress in consultation with the United Nations. I believe that it is possible to get results through this new process. As Turkey, I hope we will reach a solution that will meet the expectations in a short time. I believe,” he said.