ANKARA

Grain exports from Ukrainian ports to the world are critical for humanity, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

"Even the start of sending Ukrainian grain to the world through our country is a critical development for humanity," Erdogan said after the Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.

He said everyone can witness that Türkiye has made every effort to ensure peace between Russia and Ukraine.

“Our aim is to bring together (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy in our country, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, to open the way to set the seal on this crisis," he added.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to resume grain exports from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Yuzhny, Chornomorsk and Odesa, which were halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

A Joint Coordination Center (JCC) with officials from the three countries and the UN has been set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.

Announcing his three-nation Balkan tour scheduled for the first week of September, Erdogan said Türkiye pays "special importance" to the Balkans.

Since the first ship left Ukraine under the deal on Aug. 1, over 721,000 tons of Ukrainian grain have been delivered to world markets, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Monday. 

Türkiye's new drillship

Türkiye's fourth drillship Abdulhamid Han is the symbol of the will to defend the country's interests in the Mediterranean, Erdogan said.

"We believe that we will crown our joy of 540 billion cubic meters of natural gas that we discovered in the Black Sea with more good news," he added.

On July 17, Abdulhamid Han started drilling in the Yorukler-1 well in the Mediterranean.

The country discovered 540 billion cubic meters (19 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas in the Black Sea. Türkiye's other ships, Fatih, Yavuz, and Kanuni, continue drilling operations in the Black Sea.  

Recent deadly accidents

About the weekend's deadly traffic accidents in the southeastern provinces of Mardin and Gaziantep that claimed the lives of dozens of people, Erdogan said Türkiye will implement necessary measures in all areas, especially in traffic and vehicle safety.

He added following the investigations, necessary actions will be taken against the perpetrators.

Many countries conveyed their condolences to Türkiye in the form of government statements and social media posts for those who died or were injured in the accidents.