Turkish parliament speaker meets Ukrainian counterpart in Prague

By Aykut Yilmaz

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AA) - Türkiye's parliament speaker on Monday said he hoped the Ukraine war will end with lasting peace for the region and a just peace for Ukraine as soon as possible before it causes more loss of life, destruction, or damage.

“In this context, we will continue to take a balanced and active stance towards building peace,” Mustafa Sentop said during a meeting with Ruslan Stefanchuk, head of the Ukrainian parliament, in Prague, the Czech capital.

"Our priority is the uninterrupted continuation of the grain corridor initiative," Sentop said, referring to last year’s deal brokered by the UN and Türkiye to prevent a food crisis.

"Türkiye strongly supports Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," he said.

"Our support for Ukraine in this just struggle will continue in the coming days as well. This is a principled policy that Türkiye has been following since the (2014) annexation of Crimea," Sentop added.

Sentop will attend the Conference of Speakers of European Union Parliaments in Prague on Monday and Tuesday hosted by the Czech Republic Parliament.

During Monday's session, the conference will focus on "Russian aggression against Ukraine and the EU response in a broader geopolitical context."

The session on Tuesday will discuss "the role of the EU in the global cooperation of democracies and the issue of EU member states' dependence on totalitarian regimes."

Sentop will attend both sessions and will deliver a speech.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.