In Turkey, there was talk of a ceasefire on the Russian-Ukrainian front and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Turkey insists on negotiations
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, spoke in favor of negotiations on a cease-fire in Ukraine in the near future, noting that this does not mean recognition of the occupation of Ukrainian territory.
This is reported by Reuters.
On Friday, Fidan met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.
He said that he discussed a number of issues with Lavrov, including Ukraine.
The head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry insists that the fact of negotiations does not mean recognition of Russia's occupation of part of Ukrainian territories.
According to him, "the issues of sovereignty and ceasefire should be discussed separately."
As for Ukraine, we believe that both sides have reached the limit of what they can gain by war. We believe that the time has come to start a dialogue on a ceasefire.
The death and injury of more than 500,000 people and the complete destruction of the entire country's infrastructure is not a reality we can accept. It has to stop somehow. To stop this, some discussions have to take place and everyone has to get used to this idea.
Erdogan declares his readiness to organize negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation
During a video address to the participants of the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe summit on February 28, Erdogan noted that the implementation of peace initiatives and the settlement of the criminal war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine requires the consent of both sides.
As noted in the material of the Anadolu publication, he also added that the renewal of the grain agreement remains on the agenda.
In particular, Erdogan is convinced of the need to conclude an agreement to ensure the safety of commercial ships in the Black Sea.
The President of Turkey noted that currently, within the framework of cooperation with the UN, contacts are ongoing on the development of a new regulation, which will include obligations to ensure security in the Black Sea.
On the other hand, in order to restore peace, we are ready to resume the negotiation process that was previously held in Istanbul. We have entered the third year of the war and, despite our best efforts, we have not made sufficient progress in establishing peace. I still hold the opinion that diplomacy and dialogue should get a chance to end the war with a just and lasting peace, - emphasized Erdogan.
