President Erdogan is visiting Ukraine to hold talks with President Zelenskyy and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Finding a solution to the prevailing crisis in the war-hit country is on the agenda of the meetings.
A bilateral meeting between President Erdogan and President Zelenskyy has also been scheduled at the Potocki Palace where the Türkiye -Ukraine bilateral relations at the strategic partnership level will come under discussion.
President @RTErdogan met with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at the Potocki Palace in Lviv. pic.twitter.com/u85eRaqhwW
— Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye (@trpresidency) August 18, 2022
The bilateral talks between the two leaders will be followed by a trilateral summit which will be attended by the two presidents and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
During the summit, Erdogan, Zelenskyy, and Guterres will explore possible diplomatic measures that can be taken to end the Russia-Ukraine war besides maintaining the arrangement established for the export of Ukrainian grain to the world, Turkish Presidency announced. Moreover, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the three leaders will also discuss the volatile situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which is now under Russian control.
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Lastly, a joint press conference of President Erdogan and President Zelenskyy will also be likely arranged at the end of the official visit.
On the sidelines of the bilateral talks between the two leaders, Defense Ministers of the two countries also held a meeting to discuss bilateral and regional defense and security issues.
Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, Türkiye, under the dynamic leadership of President Erdogan, has played a key role in easing the tensions and finding diplomatic solutions to the conflict.
His efforts culminated in a deal signed in Istanbul by Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine for the reopening of Ukrainian Black Sea ports to enable the country to export its grain to the world markets as the world heavily relies on Ukrainian grain exports. The development was seen as a significant breakthrough in the crisis since the start of the war.
During his visit, Antonio Guterres will also visit Ukrainian port city of Odesa to witness the export of grain which was made possible by the Türkiye brokered deal. Afterwards, Guterres will head to Türkiye to visit the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul which was established to oversee the safe transportation of commercial food items and fertilizers by merchant ships.
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Courtesy of: Anadolu Agency