KIEV
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met on Thursday Prime Minister of Ukraine and Foreign Ministers of Serbia, Finland, Iceland, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan as he visits the Ukrainian capital of Kiev for an international security meeting.
Davutoglu also met Jeffrey Feltman, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, before attending a conference of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the world's largest security-oriented forum.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and Davutoglu discussed the current state of relations between their countries, stressing efforts to increase the trade volume and underlining the urgency of inking a free trade agreement currently under negotiation.
As jointly agreed on a previous Turkey visit by Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine, the visa exemption period for Turkish nationals visiting Ukraine has been extended to 60 days, for which Davutoglu thanked Prime Minister Azarov.
Davutoglu's meetings with Feltman of Switzerland and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic saw him congratulate both on their countries' co-chairing of OSCE, taking the post from Ukraine.
Turkish Foreign Minister's sojourn in Ukraine corresponds to a current popular protest in capital Kiev and other cities that emerged as a reaction to the government's decision to delay a major agreement with the European Union in favor of furthering ties with historical ally Russia.
