Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that his country is ready to host talks between representatives of Moscow and Kyiv again to find a way out of the war in Ukraine.

Fidan's words came during a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Earlier on May 27, the top Turkish diplomat also held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Our relations are developing in a very healthy manner, achieving their goals along the path charted by our leaders. In our region, where the agenda changes very quickly, the deep-rooted relations between Turkey and Russia play an important role in ensuring stability and security in the region. Russia's preference for Istanbul as the venue for direct talks with Ukraine is a manifestation of our countries' common understanding aimed at establishing stability," Fidan said.

He said that the war between Russia and Ukraine had been high on the agenda during his talks in the Russian capital.

"Mr. Putin made it possible to achieve relatively positive results from the negotiations by sending a delegation to Istanbul that he personally authorized. We are pleased that the exchange (of prisoners) agreed upon in the negotiations took place over the weekend. We also hope that the negotiations will quickly lead to a ceasefire and, in the future, to lasting peace," the head of Turkish diplomacy stressed.

He noted that during his meetings in Moscow, he had stated that Turkey was ready to host further meetings. Fidan again stressed the importance Ankara attaches to the safety of shipping in the Black Sea and that it would continue to maintain contacts with the Russian side on this issue.

The Turkish minister said that he and Putin had discussed the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul and said: “We conveyed our request that the next negotiations be held in Turkey. We told them (the Russians) that we are ready to make any contribution in this regard.”

Fidan and Putin also commented on the removal of some problems that arose during the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant.

“We had the opportunity to see once again how sensitive the Russian side is on this issue and how carefully Mr. Putin is following this issue in all its details,” the minister said.

Noting that Turkey imports a significant amount of natural gas from Russia, Fidan stressed the importance of continuing these supplies uninterrupted. | BGNES