Türkiye's Erdoğan, UN's Guterres address latest developments with grain corridor

Türkiye's president and the UN Secretary-General spoke by phone late Thursday about the latest developments in the Black Sea grain deal and the Russia-Ukraine war, said Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Antonio Guterres "addressed the developments regarding the Russia-Ukraine war and the grain corridor," the directorate said on Twitter.

"During the call, President @RTErdoğan expressed his satisfaction that the grain corridor began to resume again as a result of the diplomatic traffic carried out with Russia and Ukraine at the highest level," it said.

"President @RTErdoğan stated that now it is necessary to focus on extending the duration of the Istanbul Agreement," it noted.

"For his part, United Nations Secretary-General Guterres also thanked President @RTErdoğan for his efforts to ensure the resumption of the grain corridor," it said.

"Addressing the issue of cross-border humanitarian aid delivered to Syria, President @RTErdoğan voiced his expectation for strong support for the efforts to extend the Security Council Resolution, which is set to expire on January 10."

Russia announced Saturday that it would suspend its participation in the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative due to Ukrainian attacks on its Black Sea Fleet's ships.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 in Istanbul to resume Black Sea grain exports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February. A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.