Russian, American teams meet in Istanbul for developing consular ties
ISTANBUL
Senior diplomats from Russia and the United States came together in Istanbul on Feb. 27 to discuss resolving consular problems and exchanging ambassadors in line with the two sides’ recent agreements for the normalization of ties.
The U.S. delegation in Istanbul was led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter and the Russian team by Alexander Darchiyev, head of the foreign ministry's North America department.
The lengthy talks were held at the U.S. consul general's residence in Istanbul.
The two delegations’ talks covered consular issues, including staffing levels, visas and diplomatic banking. Istanbul talks followed an agreement between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh last week.
However, Russia said on Feb. 27 that restoring ruptured ties with the United States was a process and neither side expected quick or easy decisions.
“No one expects decisions to be easy and quick. But with the political will of the two countries, with the willingness to listen and hear each other, we will be able to get through this working process,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Both Moscow and Washington explained that talks in Istanbul did not focus on political issues, particularly the efforts on the Russian-Ukrainian war.
U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to reset relations with Moscow since coming to office last month, reaching out to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and initiating high-level talks with Kremlin officials for the first time in over three years.
Russian parliament speaker in Türkiye for talks
In the meantime, Valentina Matvienko, the speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, paid a visit to Türkiye on Feb. 27 upon the invitation of Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş.
At a joint press conference, Kurtulmuş reiterated Ankara’s calls for an immediate ceasefire and lasting agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
“We are ready to lend any kind of support, including through mediation or facilitation during the negotiations for peace,” Kurtulmuş stated.
Matvienko was also received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul.
