*News: Anadolu Agency (AA) **Photo: Fatih Aktaş - AA / Lviv, Ukraine
Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Ukraine's Lviv today (March 17). The ministers held a press conference after the closed-door meeting.
As part of the country's diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire and permanent peace in the region amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Çavuşoğlu also met Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Russia's capital city of Moscow yesterday. The three foreign ministers also held a tripartite on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey on March 10.
Addressing the reporters at the joint press conference today, Turkey's Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu thanked Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba for having him in such "difficult days." He said that "hopes for a ceasefire in the war increased a bit more after visits to the countries".
Saying that there is a possibility for the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to meet if they agree on issues in which Ankara sees rapprochement, Çavuşoğlu announced that Ukraine offered Turkey to be one of guarantors regarding the security dimension of a possible deal, adding that Russia has no objection to it.
"We held our strategic planning meeting here in Lviv on October 8, 2021. We wanted to come to Lviv, especially during these difficult days, to show our support to our strategic partner Ukraine," he said.
He stressed that thousands of civilians have lost their lives since the war began on February 24 and recalled that more than 3 million innocent people had to flee the country. Emphasizing that the war must end as soon as possible, he said that the bloodshed, the tears must be stopped.
Presidents of Turkey, Russia to talk over the phone
Further in his statement, Turkey's Foreign Minister cited the ongoing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus as well as his visit to Moscow the other day and said, "I have informed Kuleba today about the matters addressed and impressions gained in Moscow".
Saying that Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday on the phone, Çavuşoğlu said, "Today at 16.00 Turkish time (1300GMT), he (Erdoğan) will hold a phone conversation with Russian President (Vladimir) Putin".
He emphasized "Turkey's full support to Ukraine's territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty," as he said that the "entire world sees the struggle of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people against this war."
'Principled position'
Before the closed-door meeting, Kuleba had voiced appreciation over Turkey's "active role in building peace between the two warring countries".
While expressing regrets over holding the meeting under current circumstances, Kuleba told Çavuşoğlu that "his commitment, courage, and personal visit to Lviv prove that Turkey is an active player" and that "it is ready to invest in bringing peace" to the Ukraine-Russia relations.
Kuleba noted that he has held close contact with Çavuşoğlu even prior to the minister's visit to Moscow on Wednesday, and added that they had discussed over the phone ways to put an end to the war.
Ukraine and its people appreciate the "principled position" that Turkey has taken since the eruption of the war, the Minister reportedly said.
"We are looking forward to fruitful discussion, and discuss next steps we can take in order to achieve peace," Kuleba added.
For his part, Çavuşoğlu stressed the necessity of ending the "bloodshed" and reaffirmed his country's "principled stance on this war".
"I wanted to come here, to Lviv, to show our (Turkey's) support and solidarity with you and the Ukrainian people," Minister Çavuşoğlu said.
What happened?
Earlier on February 24, explosions were reported in several Ukrainian provinces, including the capital Kyiv, after Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced a 'special military operation' in the Donbas region.
Tensions had started escalating late last year when Ukraine, the US and its allies accused Russia of amassing tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine. They claimed Russia was preparing to invade its western neighbor, which was consistently rejected by Moscow.
Defying threats of sanctions by the West, Moscow officially recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states in late February, followed by the start of a military operation in Ukraine on February 24.
President Vladimir Putin said the operation aims to protect people "subjected to genocide" by Kyiv and to "demilitarize and de-Nazify" Ukraine, while calling on the Ukrainian army to lay down its arms.
CLICK - bianet news on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on February 24 with the invasion of Russia has drawn international condemnation, led to financial restrictions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.
At least 726 civilians have been killed and 1,174 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, while noting that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.
More than 3.1 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency. (SD)
