Türkiye welcomes Ukraine's acceptance of ceasefire: President Erdogan

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday welcomed Ukraine's recent acceptance of a ceasefire in its conflict with Russia, expressing hope that Moscow will respond "constructively" to this.

Türkiye’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war has been clear from the very beginning, Erdogan told a joint news conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the capital Ankara, also expressing the desire for the countries to end the war with a just peace.

Erdogan also stressed Türkiye's readiness to give any support, including hosting talks, "if the latest developments bring Russia and Ukraine back to the negotiating table.”

The region has had enough of wars and conflicts, he added, expressing the desire for peace and Türkiye's determination to work towards this goal.

"Our hope is for our region to quickly emerge from the trap it has been in for a long time and to achieve peace and stability,” he said.

If the EU wants to prevent or "even reverse its loss of strength and influence," it can only achieve this through Türkiye's full membership in the bloc, he reiterated.

Bilateral ties

During the meeting, Tusk and Erdogan reaffirmed their determination to strengthen and diversify ties between Poland and Ankara, Erdogan said.

Erdogan said the two countries are key allies positioned on NATO’s eastern and southern flanks and command the alliance's two largest ground armies in Europe.

Stating that they discussed the potential in areas such as trade, investments, and defense cooperation, Erdogan said: “We are determined to further enhance our trade volume, which will reach approximately $12 billion in 2024, and our mutual investments. We have set a new trade volume target of $15 billion.”

Today’s meeting addressed the future of Europe’s security, said Erdogan, adding that he and Tusk also discussed new projects to boost defense industry cooperation between the two.

Noting that Poland is one of the important markets for the Turkish overseas contracting sector, Erdogan expressed satisfaction with the growing number of projects undertaken by Turkish companies.

Stating that "strengthening our relations in a wide range of areas from education and culture to science and tourism is an important investment in the future of our friendship,” Erdogan said: “We give great importance to solving the visa issues of our businesspeople, students, and citizens.”

The two leaders also discussed Turkish-EU ties, as well as current regional and global issues within the framework of Poland's EU Council Presidency, said Erdogan, adding he underlines at every opportunity that full EU membership is Ankara’s strategic goal.

“We frequently share with our counterparts that we are eager to advance our cooperation with the EU based on mutual benefit and respect,” he added.

Erdogan said the two countries are key allies positioned on NATO’s eastern and southern flanks and command the alliance's two largest ground armies in Europe.