Moscow, Ankara interested in resolving problem of Ukrainian wheat exports - Lavrov

MOSCOW. June 6 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he expects that progress will be made during his visit to Turkey on issues related to wheat supplies from ports in the Black and Azov seas.

"Yes, we are interested in resolving this issue with Turkey. The president has explained in detail in his recent interview how food supplies from the ports in the Black Sea where the Ukrainians had planted mines, and the ports in the Sea of Azov which are already controlled by the Russian Federation and were already cleared from mines and from which there are also reliable routes via the Kerch Strait to the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, could be unblocked," he said at a press conference on Monday.

"Experts are already departing for Turkey today, and my delegation is heading there tomorrow and, hopefully, we will be able to, well, not exactly put a decisive end to the subject, it's something that our leaders must do, but we will be able to elaborate in great detail on the options the president talked about," the minister said.

The realization of these options "depends solely on those who will have to work with Ukraine, those who have to oblige Ukraine to ensure that its own ports are cleared from mines, and those who must lift any restrictions on delivery, insurance and maintenance of ships that would deliver grain and other foods products to ports in Europe and ports in developing countries from there," Lavrov said.