Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced that the four-way meeting held on Wednesday to discuss the transfer of grain from Ukraine agreed to establish a coordination center in Istanbul to ensure the safety of shipping lanes that includes representatives of the concerned parties.
Akar said in press statements today, Wednesday, that the Istanbul quadripartite meeting on Ukrainian grain reached an understanding on conducting joint inspections at ports' exit and arrival points and ensuring the safety of navigation.
He noted that the Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet next week in Turkey and will review all the details and sign "the measures we have taken."
Istanbul hosted a military meeting with the participation of officials from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations, to discuss the transport of stuck grain in Ukrainian ports.
For his part, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the agreement on the grain is important, but there is still a long way to go to reach a Russian-Ukrainian peace agreement.
Guterres said that all parties demonstrated their eagerness to reach a final agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain, and that this would benefit the whole world, and is an important step towards a comprehensive Russian-Ukrainian agreement.
The quartet meeting came at a time of rising food prices around the world due to the Russian war on Ukraine.
Ukraine is among the world's largest exporters of wheat and other grains, but Russian warships and mines planted by Kyiv across the Black Sea have halted its exports.