Turkey ready to host summit of Ukrainian, Russian leaders - Erdogan

Turkey has consistently supported Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and is ready to work to reduce tensions in the region, including by hosting a summit at the level of the Ukrainian and Russian leaders or negotiations at the technical level, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

He stated this at a press conference after the 10th meeting of the Ukraine-Turkey High-Level Strategic Council in Kyiv on Thursday, February 3.

"Our visit takes place during a sensitive period. I would like to reiterate that we support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea. […] Turkey is ready to do everything possible to end the crisis between the neighboring countries [Ukraine and Russia] that are friendly [to Turkey]. Today, during the talks, I reiterated that we will be happy to host in Turkey a summit at the level of leaders or talks at the technical level. After all, Turkey is acting by logic, thinking about how to reduce the degree of tension instead of increasing it," Erdogan said.

He noted that some earlier statements and published scenarios of occupation were exhausting Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. He also praised messages from Ukrainian officials, including the president, that "common sense and dialogue come first."

Erdogan noted the special attention that Turkey pays to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and it fully supports the mission, which has been headed by Turkish ambassadors since its inception.

"We sincerely believe that the crisis will be resolved through peaceful diplomatic methods, as part of the Minsk agreements and on the principles of Ukraine's territorial integrity and international law," Erdogan said.

Erdogan is on an official visit to Ukraine on February 3. This year, Ukraine and Turkey mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

op