Somalia will get unspecified tonnes of grain from Russia and Turkey thanks agreement by Ankara and Moscow to dispatch grain free of charge to poor countries in Africa.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that he had agreed with his counterpart Vladimir Putin that Russian grains sent under the Black Sea export deal should go to poor African countries.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin, “told me during our telephone conversation that we should send grain free of charge to countries including Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan. We have agreed,” Erdogan said in a televised address. “We will ensure that grain ships reach all countries in need, especially Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan, which are struggling with serious food crisis and famine,” Erdogan said.
“We agreed to discuss this extensively at the G20 summit” in Indonesia, he added.
Russia returned to a grain deal this week which allows Ukrainian exports to pass through the Black Sea.
The July agreement, brokered by the UN and Turkey, is up for renewal on November 19, three days after the G20 summit concludes in Bali.
Putin has repeatedly criticized the agreement.
