Putin and Erdogan agree to boost cooperation, pay for gas in rubles and unblock cereal exports

  Russian President Vladimir Putin received his Turkish counterpart Recap Tait Erdogan in the Russian city on Friday. In Sophia, on the Black Sea, where they agreed to step up their cooperation after a four-hour meeting. This includes full compliance with Ukraine and Russia's grain export agreement. And Ankara is paying in rubles for gas supplies to Russia, which the West owes protest.

Putin and Erdogan agree to boost cooperation, pay for gas in rubles and unblock cereal exports

Both Putin and Erdogan have emphasized its need full implementation of the Istanbul agreement, including the unfettered export of Russian grain, fertilizer and raw materials for their Manufacturing." In this way, they recognized "the important role of constructive relations between the two countries when it comes to signing the initiative on the safe supply of grain from Ukrainian ports."

 

The Kremlin leader thanked the Turkish president for his efforts to reach such an agreement: "Thanks to his direct participation and the mediation of the UN Secretariat, the problem of deliveries of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports has been resolved. Deliveries have already started, and I would like to thank them for this," Putin stressed.

 

The Razor freighter, the first to set sail from Ukrainian territory, left on Monday with 26,000 tons of corn from Odessa to Lebanon, where it will arrive next Sunday after having already crossed the Bosporus Straight. Three other ships left the Ukrainian ports of Odisha, Chernomyrdin and Dividend this Friday.

 

Putin also highlighted Ankara's role in transporting Russian gas to Europe through the Turk Stream gas pipeline. European partners should be grateful to Turkey because it ensures the uninterrupted transit of Russian gas, the Russian president said.

 

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced that Russia and Turkey leaders have agreed that Ankara will start paying "partially" for gas in Russian currency. "We are gradually moving to payment in the national currency. Part of the supply will be denominated in rubles This is, indeed, a new stage that opens up new possibilities," he explained, while recalling that Russia annually supplies 26,000 million cubic meters of gas to Turkey.

 

"Turkey Stream works precisely, dynamically, compared to all other routes of our hydrocarbon supply, without fail it has become a major artery for Russian gas supply to Europe," Putin said.

 

Operation in Syria

Both leaders affirmed their determination to maintain coordination and unity in the fight against all terrorist organizations in Syria while protecting the overall territorial integrity of the country.

 

Despite protests from Moscow, Ankara has launched multiple operations in northern Syria since 2016, seizing hundreds of kilometers of land and targeting the Kurdish. Turkey wants Putin's approval for new military operation in northern Syria against Kurdish militia