Türkiye says its position remains 'as principled, resolute as ever' on Ukraine's sovereignty

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Türkiye is committed to ensuring the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, the country's foreign minister said Wednesday.

"We will support Ukraine in coping with the devastating economic fallout of the war. We will support Ukraine in dealing with the humanitarian crisis that is born out of war," Hakan Fidan said at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.

Reiterating Ankara's position towards the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, he said: "Our position remains as principled and resolute as ever."

Touching on the Black Sea Grain Deal and the deal to exchange prisoners of war, Fidan said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been "relentlessly" working to alleviate the suffering caused by the war in Ukraine.

"Now we need to work on designing a financial framework that will contribute to reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine in a sustainable way," underlined Fidan, recalling that Turkish contractors were already engaged in 50 projects in Ukraine when the war started.

He noted that Turkish contractors continue to implement 29 projects in the war-torn country despite the conflict.

"We will continue to encourage our business people and contractors to deliver to the people of Ukraine, no matter how hard the conditions are."

Referring to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on reconstruction signed by Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Lviv last year, the Turkish foreign minister stated that Ankara is committed to bringing its full experience and abilities to the table.

"We will build upon what we have done so far to support reconstruction and recovery efforts of Ukraine," added Fidan.