'Trilateral meeting in Lviv to advance cause of peace'

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye, Ukraine, and the UN held talks to advance the cause of peace, Türkiye's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on Friday.

"President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskky in Ukraine along with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to advance the cause of peace. He has once again reiterated Türkiye’s long standing support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty," Altun said on Twitter.

Erdogan, Zelenskyy, and Guterres gathered in the Ukrainian city of Lviv to discuss steps to end the Ukraine-Russia war through diplomatic means and maintain a mechanism recently established for the export of Ukrainian grain to world markets.

Altun said Erdogan is at the forefront of diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire and facilitate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

He added that Türkiye was able to bring delegations from Russia and Ukraine for the first time to Istanbul in March, and Istanbul Agreement on grain exports has been a "breakthrough," relieving the pressure on the global food supply chain.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal in Istanbul on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian Black Sea ports for exporting Ukrainian grain stuck due to the war, which is now in its sixth month.

"To help facilitate dialogue and diplomatic solutions, Türkiye has been working with both Russia and Ukraine while engaging the United Nations as well. The countries who support Ukraine must spend more energy on diplomacy to end the war as soon as possible," Altun said.

He noted that the conflict needs to end through diplomatic negotiations, saying: "Our President Erdogan has been constantly engaged since the start of the conflict and his efforts have already produced serious results.

"President Erdogan’s visit to Ukraine has been a testament to his belief in diplomatic solutions achieved through engagement with relevant leaders and multilateralism in the international arena. The international community must support these efforts to achieve peace and stability."