Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that Ankara was investigating allegations that Ukrainian cereals had been stolen by Russia and that it would not allow those grains to be brought to Turkey. according to Reuters.
“We take every statement seriously and investigate it seriously. Every time, we notify the Ukrainian side in particular of the result, “the Turkish foreign minister said at a joint news conference with his British counterpart, Liz Truss, in Ankara.
Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey would oppose Russia or any other country from taking Ukrainian grain or other goods and selling them illegally on international markets.
“We will not allow these goods to reach us,” the Turkish foreign minister said.
The grain crisis in Ukraine must be resolved next month, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said on Thursday during his visit to Ankara, Reuters reports.
Ukraine said the stolen grain had reached Turkey
Kiev’s ambassador to Ankara said in early June that some Turkish shoppers were among those who received grain that Russia had stolen from Ukraine, adding that it had asked Turkey for help in identifying and detaining those responsible for the alleged shipments.
Russia has previously denied allegations that it stole Ukrainian grain.
Russia and Ukraine account for almost a third of global wheat deliveries, while Russia also largely exports fertilizers, and Ukraine exports corn and sunflower oil.
Read also: France and Turkey propose rival plans to remove grain from Ukraine (The Guardian)
But shipments of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports have been stopped since the Russian invasion, with about 20 million tons of grain blocked.
Read also: Turkey negotiates with Russia to unblock the grain crisis in Ukrainian ports
Publisher: Marco Badea
