Turkish parliament speaker receives Czech foreign minister

By Ali Kemal Akan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye's parliament speaker on Tuesday hailed Ankara's friendly relations with the Czech Republic, as he received the Central European nation's foreign minister.

During the official visit by Jan Lipavsky, Numan Kurtulmus also expressed satisfaction with the steps that the two sides have taken to mark their 100 years of diplomatic ties. According to a statement from Kurtulmus' office, he and Lipavsky also discussed bilateral and inter-parliamentary relations, as well as regional and global issues.

Many parts of the world are undergoing a period of deep conflict, Kurtulmus pointed out during their discussions, underlining that Türkiye's region and Europe are witnessing one of the bloodiest scenes of these power struggles.

He stated that Ankara has always been in favor of ending the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible by establishing a just peace.

Kurtulmus said that Europe, besides defending Ukraine's rights and territorial integrity, also has a duty to ensure peace and stop this conflict as soon as possible, lest Russia and the West descend into an all-out war.

Reducing tension in Europe would benefit all peoples across the continent, he added.

On bilateral relations between Türkiye and the Czech Republic, he said Ankara welcomed the development of a common working ground with Prague.

Kurtulmus also noted that they wished to strengthen relations between the two countries' parliaments, to fully utilize the opportunities of parliamentary diplomacy, and to enhance cooperation between the parliaments by acting together on common grounds.

For his part, Lipavsky expressed his pleasure to be at the Turkish parliament and voiced his desire for diplomatic relations between Prague and Ankara to continue to increase.

He also highlighted the importance of inter-parliamentary cooperation and mutual visits.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel