Turkish ministers hold talks in Kiev for post-war reconstruction

KIEV

The Turkish trade and agriculture ministers yesterday met with their Ukrainian counterparts in Kiev to discuss the country's post-war reconstruction efforts.

Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, Agriculture and Forestry Ministry İbrahim Yumaklı, along with representatives from 25 construction companies, traveled to Kiev, with a focus on plans for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s war-damaged infrastructure and on the involvement of the Turkish construction sector in these projects.

The ministers are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Bolat and Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister for reconstruction Oleksiy Kuleba co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the Türkiye-Ukraine Reconstruction Task Force.

“During the meeting, we addressed priority areas of cooperation for swiftly addressing Ukraine's needs and healing the wounds of the country in the aftermath of the war,” Bolat remarked in a written statement regarding the discussions.

Meanwhile, the Turkish agriculture minister also met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Vitaliy Koval.

"Our goal is to enhance the agricultural trade volume between our two nations and further bolster our sector," Yumaklı stated.

During the conflict, the Turkish construction industry had already undertaken 100 emergency projects worth $1.2 billion in areas such as highways, bridges, energy and housing. The sector’s accumulated project portfolio in Ukraine, estimated at $10 billion, is expected to play a pivotal role in addressing Ukraine’s urgent needs and healing the country in the post-war era.

The Turkish agriculture minister’s delegation will include high-level participation from the Türkiye’s grain product office and Turkish agricultural enterprises.