Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that his country is ready to host the third round of talks on Ukraine in Istanbul.
„On Thursday, we talked with the parties about the decisions that were made in the second round. We see that there is a desire to move on to the third. The Russians made a preliminary statement on this issue. We are ready to receive guests, we are ready to play the role of a mediator“, Fidan said on the A-haber TV channel.
Fidan believes that the issues related to the settlement of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are complex and cannot be resolved in several rounds of meetings.
„During the last round of talks, the parties again agreed on a prisoner exchange. But at the same time, they declared their positions to each other, which will be discussed at the next meeting. Both sides are now officially familiar with their positions. But I have already said before, the problem is very big, this is not an issue that can be resolved with a few meetings“, Fidan said.
He noted that after the exchange of memoranda “initial negotiating positions have been formed“. “Usually such negotiations start from a rather distant point. If they go well, if there is an intention to reach a compromise, if the mediator also cooperates, the parties will be able to reach a common denominator“, the minister believes.
Fidan stressed that the Turkish leadership sees the importance of diplomacy and assistance in order to “create the opportunity for a meaningful and productive meeting“ between Russia and Ukraine.