Türkiye is determined to ensure Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, including Crimea. The newly appointed head of the country’s Foreign Ministry, Hakan Fidan, during the first personal meeting with his Ukrainian colleague, Dmytro Kuleba.
“Our position remains as principled and resolute as ever,” Fidan emphasized.
Ankara also promised to support Kyiv in the war-related recovery process. “We will support Ukraine in coping with the devastating economic fallout of the war. We will support Ukraine in dealing with the humanitarian crisis born out of war,” Türkiye’s Foreign Minister added.
The heads of Türkiye’s and Ukraine’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs also discussed the “broad spectrum of spheres” of bilateral cooperation between the countries and the Black Sea Grain Initiative. “I reaffirmed Ukraine’s interest in maintaining and expanding the Black Sea Grain Initiative, as well as mobilizing global support for the Peace Formula,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said.
It should be noted that Hakan Fidan previously headed Türkiye’s national intelligence for over 10 years and was also an adviser to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The newly elected Minister of Foreign Affairs contributed to releasing the defenders of Azovstal and further ensuring the conditions of stay of the Ukrainian military in Turkey. The official, in particular, participated in negotiations on exchanging prisoners of war.
Cover: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
