International community hails historic prisoner swap in Türkiye

ANKARA

U.S. President Joe Biden walking across the tarmac after greeting reporter Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., following their release as part of a 24-person prisoner swap between Russia and the United States, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hugged journalist Evan Gershkovich on Thursday as he and two other Americans arrived back on US soil after being freed by Russia in a huge prisoner swap conducted in Türkiye's capital, Ankara

Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich, former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva were met by cheers from family and friends as they disembarked a plane, before each embracing Biden and Harris.

"It feels wonderful, it was a long time coming," Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, where he and Harris welcomed the freed prisoners at around 11:40 pm (0340 GMT).

They were among two dozen detainees released earlier Thursday in the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War.

A fourth freed prisoner, Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian Kremlin critic with U.S. residency, was also among those freed but was returning separately to the United States.

Turkish intelligence successfully coordinated the historic prisoner swap between the countries.

The swap involved 26 prisoners from the U.S., Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus. The operation saw 10 prisoners, including two children, being sent to Russia, 13 to Germany, and three to the U.S.

Biden expressed his gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over the phone for Türkiye's efforts.

Biden also thanked allies on social media.

"I am grateful to our Allies who stood with us throughout tough, complex negotiations to achieve this outcome—including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey," Biden wrote on X.

White House National Security Council Adviser Jake Sullivan said that nations were "critical" to securing the deal and the U.S. is “deeply grateful to Türkiye for providing the critical logistic support that has made this deal possible."

Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, praised allies' support and said Washington appreciates the Turkish government.

“We are thankful for Türkiye's role as it relates to that (the swap deal),” U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

“Türkiye continues to be a vital partner and ally, and we will work with them on a tremendous deal of things, but I'm not going to speak to the specifics of this process,” he added.

U.S. Ambassador in Ankara Jeffrey Flake expressed gratitude Thursday to Türkiye for facilitating the prisoner exchange.

Flake posted a message on X saying, "I am thrilled that wrongfully detained Americans are now free and reunited with their families, and I am grateful to the Government of Türkiye for extraordinary support in making today possible."

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the country's freed citizens on Thursday.

The Kremlin released a video of Putin at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport personally greeting the Russian citizens who returned to Moscow, after which he held a meeting that was attended by top Russian officials.

On Thursday, both the EU and NATO welcomed the exchange.

"The European Union is relieved by the release and transfer to freedom outside Russia and Belarus of a number of political prisoners, including EU citizens, facilitated with the help of Türkiye," foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement by the bloc's External Action Service.

Thanking all actors who helped make the deal possible, EU Council President Charles Michel said: "I welcome the release of 16 people unjustly imprisoned by the Russian regime."

"EU will continue supporting and standing for all those illegally detained in Russia and elsewhere," Michel added.

Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, echoed Michel's statement and welcomed the exchange. "Their freedom should have never been in jeopardy," she added.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also welcomed the releases. She claimed the Kremlin swapped "innocent" EU, U.S. and Russian citizens for "convicted criminals and murderers."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he welcomed the release of "wrongfully detained Allied citizens and Russian political prisoners."

Praising close cooperation between NATO members for this effort, he said: "The right to peaceful opposition and freedom of the media are vital for any functioning society."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the swap was "difficult" but had "saved lives."

International media widely reported on Türkiye's MIT for coordinating a significant prisoner exchange involving seven countries. Outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the BBC focused on Ankara's crucial role due to its ties with all the parties and underlined the operation's complexity and scope.

According to Turkish security sources, the MIT managed the entire process for the swap, from initial negotiations to the final exchange of prisoners in Ankara.

The agency was also responsible for security measures, logistical planning, and coordination between the countries involved.

MIT personnel strictly supervised the exchange, ensuring the safe transfer of each individual from the aircraft to secure locations.

After completing health checks and necessary formalities, the representatives of their respective nations received the prisoners, and the MIT also authorized their subsequent return flights.

The exchange was the first between Russia and the West since star US basketball player Brittney Griner went home in return for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December 2022.

It was the biggest since 2010, when 14 alleged spies were exchanged. They included double agent Sergei Skripal, who was sent by Moscow to Britain and undercover Russian agent Anna Chapman, sent by Washington to Russia.

Before then, major swaps involving more than a dozen people had only taken place during the Cold War, with Soviet and Western powers carrying out exchanges in 1985 and 1986.

The White House revealed that an even more ambitious agreement had been on the cards with attempts to negotiate the release of Putin opponent Alexei Navalny, before he died in February this year.