Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase the volume of grain supplies to African countries.
"We discussed with Mr. Putin ... I said ... I would like to ask you to increase it even more. We must carry out this process, especially through telephone diplomacy," Erdogan said at the 13th Concordia Annual Summit in New York.
The Turkish president noted that 33 million tonnes of grain were transported through the "grain corridor."
"Forty-four percent of supplies go to Europe. African countries need much more," Erdogan added.
On September 4, Putin and Erdogan met in Sochi for the first time in almost 12 months. The two leaders discussed the situation around the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which expired in July, as well as a number of other issues. During the meeting, Putin said that in a few weeks, Russia would start supplying grain to six African countries on a free-of-charge basis.