ISTANBUL. July 21 (Interfax) - Ankara insists on Moscow's participation in further talks on the grain deal, as other approaches may create security threats, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday.
"Ankara believes it is necessary to involve Russia in talks on the grain deal. It's highly probable that attempts to solve the issue using other methods will create security threats," Fidan was quoted by Anadolu Agency as saying at a joint press conference with his colleague from Venezuela.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier that the United States and its allies would look for ways to replace the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
On July 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia's objections to extending the deal had been sent to Ankara, Kiev and the UN.
The Black Sea grain initiative was signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022. The UN, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine signed two documents: one creating a corridor for grain exports from three Ukrainian ports (Chernomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhny) and one removing barriers to Russian food and fertilizer exports. The initiative was extended in November by 120 days, then twice for two months. It expired on July 17.