Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described Wednesday's meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Ankara as productive.
"We had productive talks during which we discussed the situation in Ukraine and regional issues. We see that there is a foundation for the resumption of the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine. We also discussed developments in Syria, Afghanistan and Libya. We attach special importance to the territorial integrity of Syria, but there are difficulties there," he said.
According to Cavusoglu, Turkey has taken a well-known stance from the beginning and is trying to "end the war through negotiations." "We are ready to contribute to the resumption of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine," he added. In addition, the republic's foreign minister noted that Ankara and Moscow "will continue to discuss the development of cooperation in the economic sphere."
According to Cavusoglu, Turkey is trying to pursue a balanced policy on Ukraine. "We understand that Ukraine is not satisfied with the fact that we have not joined the sanctions against Russia. But Turkey has tried from the beginning to maintain a balanced policy and not try to please any party. We still continue to apply the provisions of the Montreux Convention [on the passage of warships through the Turkish straits]," the minister said.
Moreover, according to Cavusoglu, Ankara is still ready to organize a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian presidents Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS