Ukraine Conflict Cannot Be Ended Militarily, Talks Needed: Erdogan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The conflict in Ukraine cannot be resolved through military means - peace talks must be initiated and this opportunity should be seized, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his pool reporters.
"First of all, to put an end to the war, the parties must lay down arms and resort to diplomacy. Peace talks must begin, and the parties should not miss this opportunity. This war cannot be ended by military confrontation and weapons. Our greatest desire is to see a final result from the peace talks. Therefore, we are determined to continue our mediation role to end this war. We will make every effort to keep the channels of dialogue between the parties open and continue the talks," Anadolu Agency quoted the Turkish leader as saying, TASS reported.
"The meeting of the two countries' delegations in Istanbul is extremely important for ending the war that started on February 24, 2022, as well as for bringing peace to the region. Since the very beginning, we have made intensive efforts to stop this war. These talks, arranged through our initiatives, are an important step toward opening the door to peace. Turkey seeks a just and lasting peace. We are not only calling for an end to the war - we are also proposing methods and preparing the ground," Erdogan added.
He also stated that Turkey has nothing to do with the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky did not meet in Turkey when the delegations were scheduled to hold talks.
"This situation is not related to us," Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying in response to a related question.
