While the killings of civilians in Bucha, Irpin and Kramatorsk have cast a shadow on peace efforts, the Istanbul process is still the most credible venue for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on April 18.
“As a country that both sides trust, we continue our efforts. The Istanbul process still preserves its character as the most reliable and shortest way out in efforts to overcome the crisis. Many leaders we are in contact with express this openly. In addition, both sides state that they are in favor of furthering the talks in Istanbul,” Erdoğan said, addressing foreign ambassadors in Ankara at an iftar dinner.
Ensuring ceasefire first and then permanent peace between our two neighbors will be one of the most auspicious works to be carried out for humanity, Erdoğan underlined.
“I wholeheartedly believe that a peaceful solution can be reached through dialogue based on the preservation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he stated.
The president recalled that he had been orderly conducting phone talks with Ukrainian and Russian leaders as part of peace efforts.
“I especially bring to their attention my desire to bring the two leaders together in Turkey at every opportunity. I convey that there will be no winner in this war, that all of us, all of humanity, will lose,” he said.
With the ongoing conflict, there are not only human losses, but economic costs are also increasing, and the world is drifting towards a great uncertainty, the president expressed.
Stressing that Turkey will continue its work to get results from the talks in Istanbul, which he noted would satisfy both the parties and the international community, Erdoğan said, “The Ukraine war has once again shown how accurate our quest for the establishment of a fair world order is.”
The importance of Turkey’s reform efforts in the United Nations Security Council is now being better understood, Erdoğan said, recalling rhetoric by Ankara that “the world is bigger than five.”
Hurriyet Daily News