World focused on Turkey as Ankara mediates in talks between warring Ukraine, Russia

ANKARA, 10 March 2022, (TON): The world’s attention will be focused on a meeting due to take place in Turkey’s southern resort town of Antalya at which the Turkish, Ukrainian, and Russian foreign ministers will discuss the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe.

Sharing a maritime border with Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has long tried to act as a neutral and balanced mediator between the two countries by upgrading its importance to NATO and at the same time not antagonizing Russia.

Ankara also closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits under the 1936 Montreux pact, allowing it to stop some Russian ships from crossing the Black Sea but also limiting Western forces’ access to the zone.

The meeting, to be held on the sidelines of the Istanbul Mediation Conference, will be the first high-level, face-to-face talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba since Feb. 24 when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Rate this item
(0 votes)
Login to post comments
Go to top