General consensus achieved in Ukrainian grain export issue: Defense minister

There is a general consensus among relevant parties for establishing an operation center in Istanbul and opening a corridor that will enable Ukrainian grain to reach global markets, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on June 23.

"We see that concrete steps can be taken," he told reporters.

A general consensus on the establishment of an operation center in Istanbul and the safe and uninterrupted management of this activity together with the Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian soldiers and the U.N. has been achieved, the minister said.

Citing the talks with Russia, Akar said Turkish and Russian officials have made significant progress on the safe delivery of the grain in the Ukrainian ports.

"As a gesture, our delegation was informed that a ship, which was in the port at that time, would be released. We will also have contacts with Ukraine. We consider that there may be positive developments and concrete steps can be taken in the coming days," the minister said.

Türkiye has assumed the role of facilitator, he said, adding, "Türkiye is currently doing its part in this regard. The parties have a serious trust in our country. We are trying to use this trust in the most sensitive way without any stain, and the parties are aware of this."

Elaborating on his meeting with British Defense Minister Ben Wallace on June 23, Akar said they had positive and useful constructive talks and exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional issues.

"We were pleased to observe that there was a consensus on many issues. There is also work that we do together in the field of the defense industry. We agreed that this work should be accelerated and developed further," he stated.

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