Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced that technical personnel from Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and U.N. will meet in Istanbul on Friday to discuss the grain deal.

The meeting will come ahead of the planned deputy defense ministers of Russia, Ukraine and Türkiye next week, Akar also said adding that Ankara continues its efforts for further extension of the deal that will expire on May 18.

Noting that the grain initiative has been extended until May 18 as a result of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and relevant ministries' discussions, Akar said Türkiye continues to strive to ensure that the agreement is properly extended without leading to any setbacks.

According to the Turkish minister, next week's meeting will focus on a number of issues, including the evacuation of some Turkish-flagged ships, and the details about the extension of the groundbreaking agreement, as well as its importance for contributing to stability in Africa.

Akar signaled that he thinks the deal would be extended, according to ongoing talks and discussions.

"We're working and striving toward this," he said.

Last month, Russia said that the current situation "does not favor " an extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a deadline loomed.

Türkiye, the U.N., Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal in Istanbul last July to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, exacerbating global food insecurity.

A coordination center or Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) was set up in Istanbul to oversee shipments with officials from the three countries and the U.N.