Turkey wants to play a mediating role in the war in Ukraine

On the sidelines, he expressed his intention to act as a mediator in the war in Ukraine tripartite meeting with the Ukrainian counterpart of Volodymyr Zelensky and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Lviv, Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“We expressed our concern about the ongoing clashes around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. We do not want to experience a new Chernobylhe characteristically said.

In joint statements made immediately after the meeting, Mr Erdogan pointed out that a total of 25 ships and about 625,000 tons of Ukrainian grain have been delivered to the world market since August 1, when the agreement entered into force.

“In today’s contacts we focused on the steps that can be taken to increase the activities of the existing mechanism. In our tripartite meeting, we also assessed the possibilities of transforming the positive atmosphere created by the Istanbul Agreement into lasting peace. We particularly pointed out that the international community must take more responsibility in order to revive the diplomatic process”.

At the same time, he committed to Zelensky that it will provide the necessary support for the reconstruction of Ukraine “as we have done until now”while making extensive reference to the grain agreement.

“The whole world began to feel it the positive consequences of the Istanbul Agreement, which made it possible to safely export Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea to the world.”

As Erdogan said, he maintains the belief that the war will eventually end at the negotiating table. “Indeed, Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Guterres agree on this point. The whole point is to determine the shortest and fairest path to the negotiating table. I believe that it is possible to start negotiations again based on the parameters established in Istanbul in March”.

In this context, according to what SKAI broadcasts, the Turkish president expressed his intention to play the role of facilitator “to provide all kinds of support to achieve this goal”.

Gunderes is worried about Zaporizhia

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres did not hide his strong concern about security at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the tripartite meeting with the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey, in the city of Lviv.

He stressed that a military strike on the nuclear power plant would amount to “suicide” and repeated his call for the withdrawal of all military forces present at the scene. “The facilities must not be used in the context of any military operation,” Guterres stressed, calling for an agreement that would provide “eguarantees for the safety of the area».

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that he has agreed to the parameters of a possible IAEA mission to Zaporizhia, stressing that Russia must stop its attacks in the area and immediately withdraw its troops from the nuclear plant.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed his country’s support for Ukraine and expressed concern about the risk of a “new Chernobyl” referring to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “We are continuing our efforts to find a solution. We were and still are on the side of our Ukrainian friends” Erdogan said before stressing that he did not want a “new Chernobyl”.

Referring to the resumption of grain exports from Ukrainian ports, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Moscow and Kyiv to show a “spirit of compromise” and ensure the successful implementation of the agreement reached in Istanbul. “From day one, all parties worked professionally and in good faith” on the resumption of grain exports, Guterres said and continued “I appeal for this to continue and to overcome all obstacles in a spirit of compromise so that all difficulties can be settled once and for all”.