Turkey stresses on diplomacy in solving Black Sea problems

ANKARA

Turkey has emphasized on the importance of continued diplomacy and dialogue to resolve regional problems surrounding the Black Sea at a multilateral summit with Romania, Poland as well as Georgia and Ukraine amid tension between the latter and Russia.

The Turkish, Romanian and Polish foreign ministers met at an annual trilateral meeting in Bucharest on April 23 and later held another session with their counterparts from Ukraine and Georgia.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Twitter said he wished “the continuation of peace and de-escalation of rising tension in Black Sea” while emphasizing the importance of diplomacy and dialogue. He also said Turkey is “supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and Ukraine.”

“The Black Sea region is our common home and we must make sure that this region is kept away from tensions. We are all concerned about recent developments in and around Ukraine. However, we have been hearing promising news recently. We hope diplomacy and dialogue prevail,” Çavuşoğlu told a joint press conference with his Romanian and Polish counterparts, Bogdan Aurescu and Zbigniew Rau, respectively.

Aurescu highlighted the very good timing of the multilateral meeting given the crisis in the Black Sea between Ukraine and Russia, stressing that the ministers have elaborated the recent Russian military deployment.

“Russia’s decision to pull back its troops certainly does not prevent us from analyzing so that this tension does not happen again,” he stressed. Recalling the participation of Ukraine and Georgia in the trilateral meeting, the Romanian minister said they will continue to support both nations while reiterating their aspiration to join the Euro-Atlantic organizations.

Rau said they have expressed their commitment to the regional security and stability from the Baltic to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Noting that recent Russian military mobility in the region is causing concerns, Rau said all these developments will be discussed during the NATO leaders’ summit to take place on June 14 in Brussels.