A former U.S. official said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan deserves to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing the Turkish leader’s efforts in the Ukrainian grain export deal.
Former U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Dov S. Zakheim penned an article, "The triumph of Turkey’s Erdoğan," for The Hill news website that was published Friday in which he wrote: "(Erdoğan's) authoritarian domestic policies render it unlikely that the liberal Norwegian Nobel Committee would give him much in the way of consideration, but surely Erdoğan deserves at least to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize."
"Despite his conducting what appears to be a most confusing foreign policy – and maybe in some respects, because of it – Erdoğan, working alongside the United Nations, was able to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine that would allow the shipment of grain from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea," he said.
Noting that 22 million tons of grains had not moved due to a Russian blockade and that there were disagreements between Moscow and Kyiv about the clearing of mines in the Black Sea, he said: "As a result of the impasse, international food prices skyrocketed and millions were threatened with starvation, creating the prospect of another mass migration to Europe."
The agreement would allow Moscow to export food and fertilizers, he said, adding: "The agreement is literally a lifesaver."
"There can be little doubt that the grain agreement represents a major triumph for the Turkish president, " he said.
Turkey, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal last week in Istanbul to reopen three Ukrainian ports – Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny – for grain exports stuck for months because of the Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its sixth month.
A joint coordination center was established to carry out inspections at the entrances and exits of harbors and to ensure the safety of the routes, according to the deal.
Following the breakthrough deal on grain exports, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu recently expressed that "now it is time to focus on brokering a cease-fire" between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, Çavuşoğlu praised the grain export deal signed in Istanbul last Friday, saying the obstacles "to exports of not only Ukrainian grain but also Russian grain and fertilizer" have come down, helping to feed a hungry world.
Internationally praised for its mediator role, Turkey has coordinated with Moscow and Kyiv to open a corridor from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa to resume global grain shipments, which have been long stuck due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Voicing hope that the deal will be implemented without any interruptions or issues, Çavuşoğlu said the grain and wheat could then be transported to countries that are in urgent need.
If the deal is successfully implemented, he added, "it could really boost trust between Russia and Ukraine."
"Now it's time to focus on a cease-fire. This is not just a process to be carried out at the level of foreign ministers," he added, voicing Turkey's readiness to host and mediate talks between Russia and Ukraine toward a lasting peace.
Emphasizing that there is no loser in peace if there is a fair cease-fire, the minister said the war in Ukraine will eventually end at the negotiating table.
"As Turkey, we will continue our efforts to make parties return to the diplomacy table as soon as possible," he added.
By keeping the door open with both Ukraine and Russia, Turkey has been praised for its leading role in bringing the countries together to move toward peace, including a meeting this March in the Turkish seaside resort of Antalya.