Turkey says advocates grain deal prolongation

ISTANBUL, Jul 5 (PRIME) -- Turkey supports prolongation of the grain deal that expires on July 17, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday at a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement.

"Turkey managed to ensure that negotiations on the most important topics took place,” he said.

”Thanks to the Black Sea Initiative, we have managed to gather Russia, Ukraine and the U.N. at the negotiation table and prevented a global food crisis. Turkey is committed to keeping the initiative alive, and we hope for your support."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said earlier that Russia would pursue ending the deal, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that there were no arguments in favor of prolonging the deal.

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