NATO member Turkey would consider taking its relations with the China and Russia-led security bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, to a higher level, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
"Turkey's prospect of (full) membership to the organization does not imply a breakaway from any other bloc or from the West," Erdogan said, according to a transcript of remarks he made to journalists on his return flight from Kyrgyzstan.
Erdogan attended a summit of the SCO, of which Turkey is a "dialog partner," in Bishkek on Tuesday.
Erdogan also said on Wednesday that a mechanism is needed to permanently ensure the safety of commercial maritime transport in the Black Sea before a grain crisis escalates.
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey had prepared a plan for the safe passage of grain via the Black Sea, and that it was in contact with both Russia and Ukraine regarding it.
Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks on Tuesday in Bishkek on the sidelines of the SCO summit, and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin had discussed the situation in the Black Sea with Erdogan.
In remarks to journalists on his return flight from the trip to Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan said a grain crisis had resurfaced, particularly in Africa, and action needed to be taken before the problem escalated further, according to a transcript shared by his office on Wednesday.
"The safety of all civilian maritime transportation in the Black Sea is important to us. The fighting between parties should not escalate to a point where it undermines the safety of civilians and commercial life," Erdogan said. "We need to resolve this issue," he added.
Turkey, UN help mediate Russia-Ukraine Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2022 after outset of war
In July 2022, Turkey and the United Nations helped mediate the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative to allow the safe export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, despite the war.
However, Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023, complaining that its own food and fertilizer exports faced serious obstacles.
In comments on recent efforts to reach a deal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Wednesday that Moscow sees no grounds for the Black Sea grain agreement to resume.