Wheat harvest in a field near Kramatosk in the Donetsk Oblast region, Ukraine, July 7, 2022. Photo: AFP/VNA

Turkey's defense minister said on Wednesday that talks had resulted in an agreement to form a coordination center in order to ensure the safety of routes.

In a statement, Turkey's defense minister Hulusi Akar said an agreement would be signed next week when all parties meet again, adding all sides had agreed on joint controls for checking grains at harbors.

The military delegations of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey and UN officials met in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday to begin a new round of negotiations on the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports from the Black Sea port of Odesa.

This was the first meeting with the in-person attendance of Russian and Ukrainian negotiators since March 29. Turkey is working with the UN to push for an agreement to tackle the spike in prices of commodities such as grains, cooking oil, fuel and fertilizers following the conflict in Ukraine in late February.