ANKARA: Turkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call that he would continue to engage in diplomacy to reinstate the Black Sea grain initiative, Erdogan’s office said on Wednesday.

Erdogan and Putin agreed on the Russian president paying a visit to Turkey, the Turkiye presidency’s statement said.

“President Erdogan expressed the importance of refraining from steps that could escalate tensions during the Russia-Ukraine war, emphasizing the significance of the Black Sea initiative, which he described as a bridge of peace,” the statement added.