Erdogan as savior from hunger: what is his role in the Ukraine deal?
Created: 07/24/2022, 06:51
By: Christina Denk
Russia and Ukraine have signed a grain deal after five months of war.
Turkey played a key role in the negotiations.
Russia Action will turn the tide.
Istanbul - Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement on grain supplies on Friday (July 22).
An important step to ensure the global supply of grain.
The African Union and many Western countries welcomed the agreement.
The signing ceremony took place in Istanbul.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also there.
Since the beginning of the war, the President has tried to play the role of mediator for a peace solution.
He also played a key role in this negotiation.
Erdogan's role as mediator in the grain deal — Russia attacks the port a day later
In the week-long, tough negotiations on the grain deal in the Ukraine war, both Turkey and the UN acted as mediators between the warring parties.
Representatives of the country and the organization were also present at the signing.
Erdogan himself was present at the ceremony in Dolmabahce Palace.
He expressed the hope that the agreements "open the way to peace again" beyond the grain issue.
Erdogan acted as a mediator when negotiating the grain agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
© Khalil Hamra/dpa
Turkey offered Ukraine help to clear mines in its ports to allow grain exports.
If necessary, this task could be taken over by his country, said Erdogan advisor Ibrahim Kalin on the Turkish broadcaster
NTV
.
Shoigu stressed that Russia has pledged not to take advantage of the removal of Ukrainian mines.
A day after signing the contract, Russia shelled Odessa, the most important port for exports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "spatted in the face UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made great efforts to reach an agreement," said Oleg Nikolenko, spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, according to AFP.
Ukraine war: Erdogan's role since the beginning of the escalation - a triangular balancing act
At the beginning of the war, Erdogan tried a triangular split.
On the one hand, he wanted to support Ukraine, not to upset Russia, but also to show his loyalty to NATO,
RND
reported .
Even five months after the start of the war, Turkey has not imposed any sanctions on Russia, apart from blocking airspace.
However, Turkey condemned the escalation of the Ukraine conflict and supplies arms to Ukraine.
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In an interview with
Merkur.de
, Turkey expert Günter Seufert described this strategy as a balancing act.
Turkey sees its future "between the great powers, i.e. the USA and Russia and possibly later also Russia and China." try to enforce it.” The behavior around the NATO accession of Finland and Sweden can already be judged in a similar way.
Most recently, Erdogan and Putin met at a summit in Iran to discuss the situation in Syria.
The atmosphere between Turkey and Russia seemed tense.
At a meeting, Erdogan let the Russian President run aground.
(chd/dpa/AFP)