President Gül: Turkey monitoring Ukraine closely

ISTANBUL

Ukrainians react to a speech in Kiev's Independence Square Feb 23. REUTERS photo

Turkey is monitoring the events unfolding in Ukraine closely, President Abdullah Gül has said.

Gül met with journalists in Istanbul at a “Sunday coffee chat,” during which he was questioned about the crisis in Ukraine.  “We are closely observing what is happening in Ukraine. It is our northern neighbor across the Black Sea, a big country that has suffered from wars throughout history. We are sorry about the sufferings of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” he said. 

“There is a deep crisis there, and the population seems to be divided in two between the European Union and Russian factors. Economic difficulties also play an important role in the crisis. If the EU had been more embracing and flexible, Ukraine could have signed the partnership agreement with it instead of Russia and developments could have flown differently,” Gül added.

The president also warned of the dangers of “civil war” in Ukraine. “We hope the crisis doesn’t turn into a civil war and settles down for the good of the Ukrainian people as soon as possible,” he said.