Erdoğan meets Azerbaijan’s Aliyev amid Russia-Ukraine war

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Azerbaijani counterpart are coming together at lunch on March 10 within the scope of efforts to reach a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

Erdoğan and Ilham Aliyev have been in close dialogue in a bid to thaw the Ukrainian crisis.

As Turkey assumed a mediator role between the two warring parties thanks to its close ties with both Ukraine and Russia, the Turkish president has been holding several phone conversations with his interlocutors.

Erdoğan was also scheduled to talk with U.S. President Joe Biden on late March 10 after Daily News went press. The phone call comes on the day of a tripartite meeting of Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Meanwhile, Erdoğan had a telephone conversation with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, on March 9, and they discussed Turkey-EU relations and Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be in Istanbul at the weekend and Erdoğan will host him on March 13. Turkey will also host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on March 14 to discuss bilateral ties and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.