ISTANBUL, May 30 (NNN-TRT) – Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, said yesterday that, Türkiye is well-positioned to serve as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, offering a neutral ground for peace negotiations.
Fidan made the remarks to Turkish media, while travelling from Poland to Kiev, where he is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-level officials.
“Given the circumstances, the parties need a place where they can come face to face and negotiate around a table. In this regard, Türkiye is actually an ideal actor,” Fidan was quoted as saying, by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
Fidan said, he would present Türkiye’s position on the conflict and emphasise the urgent need for a ceasefire during his meetings in Kiev. “As long as negotiations begin, the situation takes an optimistic turn,” he said.
“Both sides have different ceasefire demands. These demands need to be reconciled – that’s what negotiation and mediation are for,” the minister said.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, announced that, the second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will be held in Istanbul on Jun 2.
The two countries held their latest round of direct talks on May 16 – their first face-to-face negotiations since Mar, 2022 – in Istanbul, but the meeting ended without a ceasefire agreement.– NNN-TRT
