Turkish first lady hosts Ukrainian counterpart in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan has hosted her Ukrainian counterpart, Olena Zelenska, in Istanbul amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“I was happy to host my dear friend, Olena Zelenska, wife of the president of Ukraine, in Istanbul,” Erdoğan wrote on her Twitter account.

“I believe that we will heal the wounds of the war-weary Ukrainian people, especially women and children, together,” she added.

Ankara will continue its diplomatic struggle in all areas for the establishment of peace, as it was at the beginning of the process, Erdoğan stated.

Reiterating that Türkiye respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Erdoğan believes that the problem will be resolved through diplomacy.

Expressing gratitude to Türkiye for hosting 1,300 orphaned Ukrainian children, Zelenska requested the country to accept 200 children with special needs.

Meanwhile, Zelenska signed a declaration of goodwill for the “Zero Waste Project,” carried out by Erdoğan in a bid to fight against climate change.

“Thank you to Ms. Zelenska for supporting our global call,” the Turkish first lady said.

Supported by the Environment, Urbanization and the Climate Change Ministry, the project has been implemented in many public institutions across the country.

Around 16.5 million tons of paper and cardboard, 4.1 million tons of plastic, 1.7 million tons of glass, 400,000 tons of metals and 1.5 million tons of organic and other wastes have been recycled between 2017, when the project was launched, and January 2022, Erdoğan said earlier, noting that the total waste recycled amounted to 24.2 million tons over this period.

Recently, 18 other first ladies have also signed the declaration; the last one was French first lady Brigitte Macron whom Erdoğan met in New York.

The campaign gained momentum after Erdoğan and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres agreed to promote the project globally.

The deal also promises to support zero waste initiatives, campaigns, programs, projects and activities to encourage the conscious waste generation and consumption.