On Monday, October 21, 2024, during the visit to Türkiye, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha held bilateral talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye Hakan Fidan in Ankara.

Andrii Sybiha noted that his visit is taking place at an extremely difficult time for Ukraine, on the eve of very important international events, and added that this is one of the first foreign visits of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The Minister emphasized the friendly and objective nature of the bilateral negotiations with his colleague Hakan Fidan and that Türkiye is a strategic partner with which Ukraine seeks to develop strong, reliable and mutually beneficial relations.

The head of the Foreign Ministry expressed his gratitude to Türkiye for its comprehensive support of Ukraine since the first days of the war, as well as for principled position to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state. He highly appreciated the diplomatic efforts of the Turkish leadership, in particular President Erdoğan and Minister Fidan, aimed at a just end to the war.

The Minister informed his colleague about the difficult situation at the front, stressing that even though Russia throws thousands of soldiers into battle every day as cannon fodder, the Defense Forces of Ukraine are holding the front.

Within this context, the head of MFA emphasized the important role of Türkiye in supporting the Peace Formula, in particular its leadership in the «Food security» pillar. He noted that the Peace Formula is the only realistic path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.

The ministers discussed the issue of Turkish assistance in the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russian captivity, particularly Crimean Tatars. In addition, the Sides paid attention to the importance of avoiding competition between peace initiatives and the danger of splitting the world community into blocs.

«All peace-loving states are interested in restoring a just peace and respect for the UN Charter. I am convinced that Türkiye is able to play an important role in this» Andriі Sybiha noted.

The Foreign Minister also informed his Turkish counterpart about President Zelenskyy's Victory Plan and added that it is not a substitute for the Peace Formula, but a practical tool for its implementation.

During the negotiations, diplomats discussed efforts to restore stability and security in the Black Sea, ensuring freedom of navigation. In this context, Andrii Sybiha informed his colleague about Russia's increasing attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure and civilian vessels.

«Since the beginning of autumn, Russian strikes have already damaged four ships, with grain for Egypt, corn for Italy, humanitarian cargo of the UN Food Program for Palestine. We need a strong position from our partners to stop this terror and preserve global food security» the Minister emphasized.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded that Ukraine remains the guarantor of food security for many countries and regions, even despite the war.

«We continue the implementation of the humanitarian program of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy «Grain from Ukraine». At one time, President Erdoğan played one of the decisive roles in launching this extremely important initiative. Already in November, we are planning to hold the third Food summit in Kyiv» the Minister said.

Andrii Sybiha singled out defense cooperation as one of the most dynamic areas of Ukrainian-Turkish interaction. According to him, Turkish business is already strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities: the «Baykar» company is building a plant, the «STM» company is building the «Ivan Mazepa» and «Ivan Vyhovskyi» corvettes for the Naval Forces, and other ongoing projects. The Minister added that this cooperation strengthens both Ukraine and Türkiye.

The Foreign Minister thanked Turkish companies for their active participation in the reconstruction of Ukraine and welcomed the increase in their presence and projects. He also informed that this year the Ukrainian Side established a corresponding joint working group and expects a visit of the Turkish delegation to Ukraine soon, in particular President Erdoğan and Minister Fidan.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye and Ukraine signed two documents to strengthen cooperation: the Plan of consultations between the ministries for the next few years and the Memorandum on the exchange of diplomats.

«We are getting closer, we will continue to fill our strategic partnership with concrete content that will benefit both our peoples» Andrii Sybiha said.

The Minister expressed special words of gratitude to the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar communities in Türkiye and emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will support and help them in every possible way. He also thanked the Turkish Side for creating proper living conditions for Ukrainian citizens who were forced to relocate after the start of the full-scale invasion.

«We appreciate your strong and patriotic voice, which strengthens the foundation of the partnership between Ukraine and Türkiye» the Minister said.