ANKARA 

Türkiye’s national defense minister and Ukraine’s infrastructure minister spoke by phone Wednesday about preparations for Ukrainian grain shipments from the country’s Black Sea ports, said the Turkish National Defense Ministry.

Hulusi Akar and Oleksandr Kubrakov expressed satisfaction over the opening of the Joint Coordination Center by the two countries, the ministry said in a statement.

The two ministers also exchanged ideas on the preparations for the grain shipments, which are supposed to start this week.

Akar and Kubrakov stressed the need for the continuation of reciprocal support and coordination in the process, the statement added.

The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul was opened Wednesday in a ceremony in which the Turkish defense chief took part.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal last week to reopen three Ukrainian ports – Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny – for grain stuck for months due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has entered its sixth month.

The deal came after a general agreement was reached between stakeholders on a UN-led plan during talks on July 13 to establish a coordination center in Istanbul to carry out joint inspections at the entrance and exit of the harbors and to ensure the safety of the routes.

Internationally praised for its mediator role, Türkiye coordinated with Moscow and Kyiv to open a corridor from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa to resume global grain shipments.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Merve Berker