Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that achieving lasting peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine is “extremely close“, stressing Ankara's readiness to take responsibility for security in the Black Sea in the event of a ceasefire between the two sides, Anadolu Agency reported, quoted by BTA.
“In my opinion, we are currently extremely close to achieving lasting peace (in Ukraine). At the very least, we see that several areas that are key to peace are being discussed in an extremely serious manner,“ Fidan told journalists at the Turkish Embassy in Paris after a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing“ on Ukraine held yesterday.
Emphasizing the importance of the meeting in Paris, Fidan said that he represented Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the meeting, which was also attended by leaders of countries and institutions such as the EU and NATO. “Important issues were discussed“, he said.
“What we see is that if the two sides reach an agreement, it will not be just a peace agreement that ends the war in Ukraine. It will also determine, in the long term, the conditions for peace between Russia and Europe in the new era. At the same time, it will be a comprehensive agreement that will shape Moscow's regional policy going forward“, the Turkish foreign minister said.
Regarding the issues discussed, Fidan said they were related to monitoring a possible future ceasefire, maintaining Ukraine's deterrent capability and the possibility of military measures in the event of a ceasefire violation, stressing Turkey's readiness to take responsibility for security in the Black Sea in the event of a ceasefire.
“As "Considering that Turkey is the NATO member state with the largest navy in the Black Sea, it is only natural that it should take responsibility for security there. We hope that a peace agreement will be signed as soon as possible to prevent further loss of life and restore stability in the region," Fidan said.