عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Türkiye’s Erdogan to Visit Russia ‘Soon’ to Discuss Grain Deal

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he speaks as he attends the Justice and Development (AK) Party's 22nd Foundation Anniversary Event at ATO Congresium, in Ankara, on August 24, 2023. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he speaks as he attends the Justice and Development (AK) Party's 22nd Foundation Anniversary Event at ATO Congresium, in Ankara, on August 24, 2023. (AFP)
TT
TT

Türkiye’s Erdogan to Visit Russia ‘Soon’ to Discuss Grain Deal

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he speaks as he attends the Justice and Development (AK) Party's 22nd Foundation Anniversary Event at ATO Congresium, in Ankara, on August 24, 2023. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he speaks as he attends the Justice and Development (AK) Party's 22nd Foundation Anniversary Event at ATO Congresium, in Ankara, on August 24, 2023. (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Russia soon to discuss the collapsed United Nations deal that had allowed Black Sea exports of Ukrainian grain, a spokesperson for Türkiye’s ruling AK Party said on Monday.

The UN- and Türkiye-brokered deal lasted a year but ended last month after Moscow quit. Ankara is seeking to persuade Russia to return to the agreement, under which Odesa's seaports shipped tens of millions of tons of grain.

Since the grain-export deal collapsed, Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian ports with volleys of missiles and kamikaze drones.

Omer Celik, the AK Party spokesperson, said Erdogan would visit Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi "soon" but did not specify whether he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"After this visit there may be developments and new stages may be reached regarding" the grain deal, he told reporters.

The Kremlin said on Friday there was an understanding the two leaders will meet in person soon.

Bloomberg cited two anonymous sources in reporting that Erdogan is expected to meet Putin in Russia next week, possibly on Sept. 8, before he travels to a G20 meeting in India.  

Earlier, the TASS news agency cited Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan will hold talks in Moscow "in the nearest future".

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Former Israeli Hostage Dies at 78

A poster calling for the release of Hannah (Chana) Katzir is taped to the door of her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)
A poster calling for the release of Hannah (Chana) Katzir is taped to the door of her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)
TT
TT

Former Israeli Hostage Dies at 78

A poster calling for the release of Hannah (Chana) Katzir is taped to the door of her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)
A poster calling for the release of Hannah (Chana) Katzir is taped to the door of her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, on Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)

Hannah Katzir, an Israeli woman who was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, and freed in a brief ceasefire last year, has died. She was 78.

She was among the 250 hostages the Palestinian group Hamas took back into Gaza following the surprise attack that left about 1,200 people dead.

Israel’s subsequent bombardment and ground invasion have killed over 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.

The Hostages Families Forum, a group representing the families of people taken captive, confirmed Katzir’s death Tuesday but did not disclose the cause.

Her daughter, Carmit Palty Katzir said in a statement that her mother’s “heart could not withstand the terrible suffering since Oct. 7.”

Katzir’s husband, Rami, was killed during the attack by fighters who raided their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Her son Elad was also kidnapped and his body was recovered in April by the Israeli military, who said he had been killed in captivity.

She spent 49 days in captivity and was freed in late November 2023. Shortly after Katzir was freed, her daughter told Israeli media that she had been hospitalized with heart issues attributed to “difficult conditions and starvation” while she was held captive.