Türkiye expresses readiness to support peace between Ukraine, Russia

ANKARA

The Turkish parliament speaker said that the proposed wishes for peace in Ukraine and Russia are “positive,” and Türkiye is ready to provide all kinds of support to ensure peace till the end.

Numan Kurtulmuş met with Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Federation Council of Russia, during her official visit to Türkiye's Parliament, where they held bilateral and delegation meetings, followed by a joint press conference.

Kurtulmuş expressed his pleasure in welcoming Matviyenko and noted that they had productive discussions on key issues affecting both countries, the region, and the world.

He also noted his September 2023 visit to Russia, where he met with President Putin, addressed the Federation Council General Assembly, and expressed gratitude to Matviyenko for hosting him.

He stated that the long-standing, close, and strategic cooperation between Türkiye and Russia has deep historical roots and emphasized that bilateral relations continue to grow and progress positively each day.

He stressed that the cooperation in sectors like economy, trade, education, culture, tourism, and energy has reached a significant level, saying: “With bilateral trade between Türkiye and Russia exceeding 54 billion dollars, though it is still not enough,” Kurtulmuş expressed hope to increase the trade value.

Stating that Ankara’s position has been “very clear” since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, Kurtulmuş said that the war, which claimed thousands of people’s lives, is not a war between Russia and Ukraine, but between Russia and the West.

Drawing attention to Ankara’s efforts to end the war, Kurtulmuş added that in spite of the time that has passed, peace has not been reached because “some forces were in favor of the continuation of the war.”

“Now we believe that the will or wishes for peace are positive, and we are ready to support to ensure this peace until the end,” Kurtulmuş said, expressing Ankara’s readiness to be a facilitating factor in all kinds of negotiations.

He emphasized that Türkiye's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war has produced very important and valuable results and said with the “grain corridor,” the already existing food problems in the world were prevented from growing, and the food crisis was prevented.

He underlined Türkiye’s role in facilitating prisoner swaps between Ukraine and Russia and adhering to the Montreux Straits Convention during the war, preventing non-regional ships from entering the Black Sea.

Türkiye-Russia cooperation 'beneficial'

For her part, Matviyenko said that the cooperation in various fields between Türkiye and Russia is beneficial for the people of the two nations, 

Matviyenko said that during Kurtulmuş’ visit to Russia last September, an agreement was reached on making inter-parliamentary dialogue more active.

She also said that today, both bilateral and regional issues were discussed effectively.

Stating that there was mutual agreement on elevating relations to a different level, she underlined that the efforts should be based on principles such as mutual interests, respect and a balance of benefits.

She noted that all areas of bilateral relations, including security, were addressed at today’s meeting.

Matviyenko also highlighted that the trade volume between the two countries has increased and the areas of cooperation have expanded.

Drawing attention to the trade volume target set by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, she said the two countries could conduct trade in local currencies and that alternative mechanisms could be developed for payments.

She pointed out that the two countries have reached a strategic level of cooperation in certain areas, using the energy sector as an example.

Matviyenko described the work at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Türkiye’s as a "clear example" of the commercial and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Emphasizing the intensive dialogue between Erdoğan and Putin, she said it serves as an example of how solutions can be found even in difficult situations.

Referring to the discussions between the two leaders last year, she said that parliaments should also provide the necessary support for this dialogue.

On Türkiye’s policy on the Russia-Ukraine war, Matviyenko praised President Erdoğan and the Turkish government.

"They (Türkiye) are in favor of finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis. Serious steps are being taken for this,” she said.

Matviyenko also referred to the talks held in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, stating that an agreement was almost reached but Ukraine stepped back.

Sharing information about the content of the talks between Russian and U.S. officials in Istanbul today, Matviyenko expressed hope that these meetings would lead to a return to "civilized dialogue.”