Erdogan, Putin meet in Sochi to discuss grain corridor
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia, on Monday for talks on the grain corridor in the Black Sea and the situation in Syria, TASS reports.
The meeting was scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. Moscow time, according to a source in Erdogan's office.
In a statement ahead of the meeting, Erdogan said he was hopeful that the two sides could reach an agreement on the grain corridor, which would allow the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
"We are working hard to open a safe corridor for grain exports from Ukraine," Erdogan said. "We hope that our meeting with President Putin will be a turning point in this regard."
Putin said he was also open to discussing the grain corridor.
"We are ready to work with our Turkish colleagues to ensure the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports," Putin said.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in Syria, where they agreed to continue working together to stabilise the country.
This is Erdogan's first visit to Russia in more than a year and the first face-to-face meeting between the two presidents since October 2022.
Translation by Iurie Tataru