President Erdoğan's message: 'The Istanbul process must be maintained, the bloodshed must stop'

Erdoğan stated, "We expect all our partners who desire an end to the bloodshed in the region to adopt a constructive approach toward the Istanbul process."

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Here are the highlights from Erdoğan's remarks:

"THE ISTANBUL PROCESS MUST BE MAINTAINED, THE BLOODSHED MUST STOP"

Distinguished members of the press, I greet you all with my warmest feelings and respect. I am very pleased to host Mr. Zelenskyy in our country once again. As you will recall, we hosted him twice more this year. In addition to our bilateral relations, we exchanged views on resolving the war in Ukraine. Indeed, immediately following the President's last visit in May, we hosted direct talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, which had been initiated for over three years. In the three rounds of negotiations held, it was possible to make progress, especially on humanitarian issues. Furthermore, views on a ceasefire and peace, as well as military matters, were addressed directly between the parties. We view all of these as valuable steps. In our meetings today, we emphasized the necessity of continuing the Istanbul process with a pragmatic and results-oriented approach. I stated that we believe the Istanbul talks constitute an important milestone in efforts toward a diplomatic solution at a time when the devastating effects of the war are deepening for both sides.

"WE ALSO EVALUATED BILATERAL ISSUES"

In particular, the increasing attacks on energy infrastructure and the loss of life bring with them destruction that is difficult to compensate for both sides. We are of the opinion that it would be beneficial for the Istanbul process to be reactivated with more comprehensive content to address the problems that have now become acute.

We expect all our partners who desire an end to the bloodshed in the region to adopt a constructive approach toward the Istanbul process. Distinguished members of the press, in our meetings today with my dear friend Zelenskyy, we also evaluated bilateral issues. We have once again reaffirmed our commitment to the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of our strategic partner, Ukraine. In this vein, I would also like to state that our support for the Crimean Tatars, with whom we have an exceptional bond of history and culture, will continue.

Despite all the difficulties of the war, we aim to increase our bilateral trade volume to 10 billion dollars. We desire to contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine with the support of Turkish entrepreneurs who have courageously continued their work without leaving the country under these difficult conditions.

However, first and foremost, we as Turkey are always ready to discuss with Russia proposals that will accelerate a ceasefire and pave the way for a fair and lasting peace. In this context, we also attach importance to the involvement of our ally, America, in the process. 

THANKS TO TURKEY FROM ZELENSKYY

Speaking at the press conference, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said, "I would like to thank Turkey for supporting Ukraine's independence and sovereignty."

News Source: 12punto