https://ahvalnews.com-The Netherlands would like to see Turkey join sanctions against Russia, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday, but added that the country was playing an invaluable role in trying to end the war in Ukraine.
Rutte made the remarks during a joint press conference following meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Rutte arrived in Turkey on Tuesday ahead of an extraordinary NATO leaders’ summit March 24, which will discuss the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
“We would very much favour Turkey to implement all (of) the sanctions,” Rutte said.“But I think we also have to be happy with the fact that Turkey is playing now its diplomatic role and its leadership role in trying to end the conflict.”
Turkey, which maintains good relations with Russia and Ukraine, has criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as unacceptable, but has also pledged to maintain its close relations with both Moscow and Kyiv.
Ankara has offered to act as a mediator between the two sides and last week hosted the countries’ foreign ministers in a meeting that failed to yield results. Turkey, a maritime neighbour to both countries, has also closed the Turkish Straits at the entrance of the Black Sea to some Russian warships, but has stopped short of imposing sanctions on Russia.
Praising Turkey’s role in NATO, Rutte said the country had “enormous political and military importance for the alliance,” according to Anadolu.
Erdoğan during the press conference stressed the necessity of continuing diplomatic efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war, which has entered its fourth week.
At least 925 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, while nearly 1,500 others have been injured, according to figures from the UN estimates. Over 3.5 million people have been displaced since the war began.
“We are aware of the difficulties of the conditions (Russia-Ukraine war), but we will continue our sincere efforts, acknowledging that diplomacy is the only way out,” Erdoğan said.
Turkey has taken a “clear stance” since the very beginning of the crisis in Ukraine, the Turkish president added, calling for “common sense to prevail and holding dialogue on every occasion.”
Turkey and the Netherlands “have common will to improve cooperation as NATO allies,’’ Erdoğan said.
The Turkish president also touched on Turkey EU-relations, saying that Ankara expected the bloc to relaunch talks for Turkey to eventually become an EU member.
Ankara expects the EU to “urgently open the membership negotiation chapters and initiate negotiations on the Customs Union, without capitulating its vicious interests,’’ Erdoğan said.
Turkey opened accession talks with the EU in 2005, pledging to strengthen its democracy, guarantee rule of law and match regulations governing the economy with those of the 27-member bloc.
However, the bloc froze talks on the chapters of Turkey’s accession following a military coup attempt in 2016, when it strayed further from Europe’s democratic standards.