Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Ankara will strive to ensure that the Black Sea grain deal, mediated by Türkiye and the U.N., will strive to ensure that it is operational without any interruptions.

Speaking in a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Çavuşoğlu said the deal, recently resumed by Russia, will need to be renewed in 20 days.

"It is imperative to resort to diplomacy despite all challenges for clashes to end," he said.

For his part, Stoltenberg said Türkiye is an important NATO ally and makes great contributions to the bloc's mutual security. He noted that Türkiye's support to Ukraine has reduced "some of the effects of brutal war," Stoltenberg said, commending Ankara's efforts for the prisoner swap and the Black Sea grain deal.

"I want to thank Türkiye, for all its support to Ukraine. The cutting-edge drones and ships built in Türkiye are helping to uphold Ukraine's right to self-defense," he said.

"Türkiye is a highly valued NATO ally and making important contributions to our shared security. You play a major role in the fight against terrorism, including in our mission in Iraq," he said.

Stoltenberg also hailed Türkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan "for negotiating safe passage for Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea and easing the global food crisis," saying that implementation of the grain deal demonstrates the "important role" Türkiye plays in the conflict in Ukraine.

Ankara's "diplomatic efforts are supporting and enabling" the grain deal, he said, and the exchange of prisoners was "extremely important" in reducing "some of the effects of the brutal war going on in Ukraine."

Russia had pulled out of the grain deal over the weekend, citing allegations of a Ukrainian drone attack against its Black Sea fleet.

Erdoğan on Wednesday said that after his call with Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar that the deal for a humanitarian grain corridor would "continue in the same way as before" as of noon Wednesday.

Shortly after Erdoğan’s remarks, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russia agreed to continue carrying out its role in the deal after receiving written guarantees from Kyiv that Ukraine would not use the sea corridor for military actions against Moscow.

Meanwhile, Çavuşoğlu expressed Türkiye is still not convinced about the steps taken by Sweden and Finland. He noted that the two countries have taken some steps regarding Türkiye's concerns over their NATO membership but the lifting of the arms embargo alone is not enough.

Stoltenberg pushed Ankara to approve the two Nordic countries' bid to join the bloc, saying that Sweden and Finland have delivered on the demands Türkiye has set for their accession to NATO and time has come to welcome them to the alliance.

"It's time to welcome Finland and Sweden as full members of NATO," Stoltenberg said.

"In these dangerous times, it is even more important to finalize their accession, to prevent any misunderstanding or miscalculation in Moscow."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will visit Türkiye on Nov. 4 for talks on Finland and Sweden's nearly completed process to join the military alliance.

Stoltenberg is due to meet with President Erdoğan, who has warned that his country will not approve the two countries' memberships until "the promises they made are kept."

Ankara has accused Helsinki and Stockholm in particular of providing shelter to PKK and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) terrorists.

Both Finland and its neighbor Sweden applied for membership in the defense alliance in the wake of Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine, abandoning longstanding policies of military nonalignment. Becoming a NATO member requires the unanimous support of all current members, including Türkiye.

Türkiye also has called for lifting an arms embargo imposed following its 2018 operation into northern Syria to combat PKK-linked YPG terrorists. Sweden last month said it would lift the embargo, a step seen as aiming to secure Ankara's approval.

Only the parliaments of Türkiye and Hungary have yet to ratify the accession of Finland and Sweden. Türkiye's parliament must ratify the country's approval for Finland and Sweden's membership for them to join NATO.

Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding at NATO's June summit in Madrid, which stipulates that the Nordic countries will not provide support to the YPG or the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union, and the United States, and it is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The PKK terrorist group's Syrian branch YPG also has a presence in Europe.

The Nordic countries also agreed to address Ankara's pending deportation or extradition requests for terror suspects.

Sweden has taken "concrete action" to address Türkiye's concerns over its NATO membership bid, including stepping up counter-terrorism efforts against PKK-linked militants, Stockholm told Ankara in a letter dated Oct. 6 and seen by Reuters, reports said recently.