Foreign Minister Fidan: The ultimate goal is, of course, a ceasefire

The 3rd round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, hosted by Turkey, has begun at the Çırağan Palace in Istanbul.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Director İbrahim Kalın, and Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak, who arrived at the Çırağan Palace for the peace talks, held a press conference.

Making statements regarding the meeting, Minister Fidan said, "We have come together for the 3rd round of direct talks hosted by Turkey. Our goal is to end this war, which has a very high cost, as soon as possible. We express our gratitude to Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky for demonstrating the will for these talks to take place, to Mr. Trump for supporting the process aimed at ending the war, and to all other leaders who have provided direct or indirect support to the negotiations.

Our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is a leader who has carried the torch of peace in our conflict-ridden region for years. Under his leadership, Turkey is making intense efforts to realize peace between Russia and Ukraine. We achieved significant results in the first two rounds of talks. We are pleased to see that the prisoner exchanges carried out to date have been appreciated by the international community in terms of their humanitarian outcomes. We also view the exchange of memoranda reflecting the parties' perspectives on a ceasefire and peace during the second round of talks as an important development.

In the time that has passed, the negotiation delegations have maintained contact at a technical level. Our hope in this third negotiation process is for the parties to conduct substantive, results-oriented consultations on the memoranda they have exchanged. The ultimate goal is, of course, a ceasefire that will build the path to peace.

As the host, our role is to provide a negotiation environment where both sides feel secure. As a facilitator, we will continue to fulfill our duty properly. Distinguished participants, diplomacy is a process, but this process gains meaning if positive progress is made by increasing concrete gains with every new step. Turkey is always ready to fulfill its duty for the progress of the process, depending on the consensus the parties will reach," he said.

News Source: İHA