Doha, September 03 (QNA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will host Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday, amid hopes the two leaders would revive a UN-sponsored grain export deal.

This summit is the first between both leaders since Russia's withdrawal from the deal on July 17.

Spokesperson for the Turkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party, Omer Celik said that President Erdogan had taken an initiative to revive the agreement to avoid a global food crisis, expressing his belief that new developments could occur after Erdogan's visit to Sochi.

Chief advisor to President Erdogan, Akif Cagatay Kilic said that the Turkish President is giving particular importance to the Black Sea Grain Agreement, noting that Russia can return to the agreement if certain conditions it demands are met. There is currently no thinking about an alternative route to export grains and that his country has doubts about the possibility of the agreement continuing without Russia, he added.

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres announced that he had sent what he called "a set of coherent proposals" to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with the aim of reviving an agreement that allows the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

Guterres expressed his belief that the proposals he presented could be a basis for reviving the agreement, without going into the details of his proposals, stressing the need for something successful and in the interest of all parties. 

Russia vowed it would consider reviving the deal if its demands to support its own grain and fertilizer exports were met. One of Moscow's main demands is reconnecting Russian Agricultural Bank to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) international payment system. Moscow said its food and fertilizer exports were hampered abroad over restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance.

In July, Russia withdrew from the deal which allowed - until it was frozen, to export approximately 33 million tons of Ukrainian grain, which supported the Ukrainian economy on the one hand and reduced global grain prices on the other.

Turkiye seeks to revive the agreement to resume peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv is relying mainly on overland and river port transport to export grain, which greatly limits the amount of grain exported.

Turkish Analysts warn that exporting without Russian approval increases the risks of a new conflict with Moscow in the Black Sea.

(QNA)