Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that he had agreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that grains sent under the Black Sea export deal should go to poor African countries for free.

Erdogan made the comment in an Istanbul speech after Moscow resumed its participation in the U.N.-brokered grain deal on Wednesday.

Moscow had pulled out of the arrangement, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, saying it could not guarantee the safety of civilian ships crossing the Black Sea because of a drone attack on its fleet there.

However, Putin made a U-turn following a phone call between Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday and consultations between their defence ministers.












Source: Reuters