The UN has proposed a SWIFT-derived mediation mechanism for paying for Russian food, and is working on the issue of insurance for Russian ships, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
At the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan noted that Ankara is ready to assist in the processing of Russian grain for further shipment to countries in need and hopes for the joint implementation of steps to deliver food to African countries.
"Due to sanctions, the British insurance company does not insure [Russian] ships. Due to the exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT system, money transfers are not carried out. Now, thanks to the constant work of Turkey, the United Nations has put an end to this process. Recently, on August 28, UN Secretary General Guterres wrote them a letter with a proposal to create an intermediary mechanism that is not a direct SWIFT, as the Russians wanted, but a derivative of SWIFT. They [the UN] also said that they are working on the issue of insurance," Erdogan told reporters.
The Turkish leader added that the West sees the issue of failure to fulfill obligations to lift sanctions on Russian exports "differently" from Moscow.
"In addition, 44 percent of the grain goes to Europe, and 14 percent to Africa," he added.
Moreover, Erdogan stated that he plans to meet with Antonio Guterres during the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the possible resumption of the grain deal.
"The resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is a priority for the whole world. We are in close contact with the United Nations on this issue. As you already know, the UN General Assembly will be held this month. We will hold meetings there with Guterres, and we will also discuss these issues. I would like to reiterate that we appreciate and support the efforts of Secretary General Guterres,” he elaborated.
On Monday, Erdogan said that Ankara had prepared a new package of proposals on the deal following consultations with the UN following the talks with the Russian leader.
Putin, in turn, stressed that Russia is ready to return to the deal as soon as all the conditions on obligations' fulfillment are met. He further noted that Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal has not affected the global food markets, grain prices are declining, and there is no evidence of food shortage.
Russia initially agreed to participate in grain deal as a number of obligations towards Russia were promised to be fulfilled, but nothing happened, Putin emphasized, concluding that Western countries lied to Russia when it came to the implementation of the grain deal obligations, and food corridors should not have been used for military purposes, but are currently being used for that by Ukraine.
On July 18, the Turkey- and UN-mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative, or the grain deal, which provided for a humanitarian corridor to allow exports of Ukrainian grain over the past year, expired, as Russia did not renew its participation in the deal. Moscow said that the deal's component on facilitating Russian grain and fertilizer exports had not been fulfilled.