https://ahvalnews.com-Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of an extraordinary summit of NATO in Brussels on Thursday.
Erdoğan was expected to meet bilaterally with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas during the event, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The summit, to discuss the alliance’s response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, has set the stage for a series of bilateral talks between heads of state at NATO headquarters. NATO was also expected to address its long-term stance in Eastern Europe.
Turkey controls NATO’s second-largest standing army but has sought to remain neutral in the war, despite previously providing Ukraine with armed drones and slamming Russia’s invasion. Unlike other NATO members, Turkey has declined to impose any sanctions on Russia while attempting to help negotiate a ceasefire between the warring sides.
NATO leaders should focus on securing a cease-fire in Ukraine, not just on sanctions against Russia and deterrence, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Tuesday.
“Everyone’s first aim should be a ceasefire, it should be to stop the war,” Çavuşoğlu told Turkish journalists on the side lines of an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference in Pakistan. “Everyone should act responsibly and constructively.”
At least 977 civilians have died in the war and 1,594 injured, according to United Nations estimates. Over 3.6 million Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring countries. A million more are displaced internally, according to the U.N. refugee agency.