The international community should assume more responsibility for the revival of the diplomatic process between Ukraine and Russia

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UN Secretary-General António Guterres held a joint press conference following their trilateral meeting at the Potocki Palace.

Touching upon the tête-à-tête he had with the Ukrainian President ahead of the trilateral meeting, President Erdoğan said: “We discussed the opportunities to further our cooperation and solidarity under the current circumstances. The main topic of our meeting was of course the war which has been going on for nearly six months. I reiterated our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

“WE DON’T WANT TO EXPERIENCE ANOTHER CHERNOBYL”

Expressing his regret over the lives that have been lost, President Erdoğan stated: “I offered my condolences on the behalf of my country about last night’s missile attack on a dormitory in Kharkiv which killed nine civilians and wounded 35 persons. We also voiced our concerns regarding the conflicts taking place around Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. We don’t want to experience another Chernobyl. As Türkiye, we exert efforts for the termination of the conflicts by diplomatic means while also continuing to stand by our Ukrainian friends.”

President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: “We have dispatched 98 truckloads of humanitarian aid to meet the needs of the Ukrainian people and have provided temporary shelter to nearly 325 thousand Ukrainians in our country since the beginning of the war. We have admitted into our country a total of 1507 people comprising 1099 orphans and 408 guardians. We have also addressed the magnitude of the physical destruction caused by the war in Ukraine. I told Mr. Zelensky that we will continue to provide the necessary support for Ukraine’s reconstruction.”

“THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS STARTED TO FEEL THE POSITIVE REPERCUSSIONS OF THE ISTANBUL DEAL”

Pointing out that how the war can be terminated constituted the focal point of the trilateral meeting held with the participation of Mr. Guterres, President Erdoğan said: “As you know, we as the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Türkiye conducted an exemplary work of historic importance a month ago. Not only Ukraine but the entire world has started to feel the positive repercussions of the Istanbul deal, which enables the safe export of the Ukrainian grain to the world markets via the Black Sea.”

Noting that a total of 25 ships and nearly 625 tons of Ukrainian grain have reached the world markets since the implementation of the deal on August 1, President Erdoğan stated: “We focused on the steps that can be taken in order for the existing mechanism to keep functioning in an increasingly more effective manner. We discussed the opportunities for the positive atmosphere stemming from the Istanbul Agreement to be transformed into a lasting peace. We underscored that the international community should assume more responsibility for the revival of the diplomatic process.”

Stressing his belief that the war would eventually end at the negotiating table, President Erdoğan said: “Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Guterres are actually of the same opinion on this issue. It is all about finding out the shortest and fairest pathway to the negotiating table. I believe that it is possible to revive the negotiations based on the parameters that emerged in March in Istanbul. We stand ready to provide every kind of support in this regard and to play once again a facilitating or mediating role. We also discussed during our meeting the issue of prisoners of war as well as our relevant initiatives. Let me stress the importance we attach to this issue. I think those now watching us wonder about the exchange of prisoners of war. We will continue to discuss with Mr. Putin and the Russian side the outcomes of today’s talks.”