Representatives of Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations held quadripartite talks in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, on the issue of Ukraine's export of agricultural products from the Black Sea ports, and agreed to establish a coordination center to ensure the safety of food transportation. According to the Turkish Ministry of defense, the talks began at about 16:00 local time and lasted for about one and a half hours in closed doors. Turkish defense minister akar issued a statement after the talks, saying that the Quartet talks are of great significance for solving the food crisis. All parties fully discussed how to safely transport food by sea. Russia and Ukraine agreed to meet again in Turkey next week to discuss all details. Akar said that the talks were held in a positive and constructive atmosphere. The parties reached an agreement on basic technical issues and will set up a coordination center in Istanbul with the participation of representatives of all parties to jointly manage ships entering and leaving the port and ensure the safety of grain transportation routes. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Konashenkov said on the 13th that the Russian delegation proposed a solution to the problem of grain exports from Ukraine as soon as possible. Ukrainian foreign minister kuleba said that Ukraine and Russia are still "two steps away" from reaching an agreement on grain exports. According to the Ukrainian President's website, Ukrainian President Zelensky said on the 13th that according to Ukrainian representatives, the Ukrainian Russian talks on the same day made some progress, "we will reach an agreement with the Secretary General of the United Nations on the details of the negotiations in the next few days". He also thanked the United Nations and Turkey for their relevant efforts. Ukraine, known as the "granary of Europe", is a major exporter of corn and wheat. It is reported that more than 20million tons of Ukrainian grain are stranded in Odessa port and cannot be transported out. Ukraine accused Russia of blocking ports and preventing Ukraine from exporting grain. Russia denied interfering with Ukraine's exports and accused Ukraine of laying a large number of mines in the Black Sea waters, endangering navigation safety. When meeting with visiting Indonesian President Joko on June 30, Russian President Putin said that Russia would not prevent Ukrainian grain exports, nor would anyone prevent Ukrainian troops from demining and releasing grain ships in ports, and Russia would ensure the safety of grain transportation. (Xinhua News Agency)