Turkey is a key actor in solving conflicts in its region with its significant capacity in this area, Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal said Wednesday, sampling Ankara's contributions of mediating in the struggle between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking at Ukraine Reform Conference organized in Toronto, Önal stressed that Turkey has a geographical affinity and close collaboration with both Ukraine and Russia at the same time, adding that Ankara wants to utilize this situation in solving the conflict.
He added that Turkey also has a principle on protection of the territorial integrity of all countries in accordance with the international law.
During former President Petro Poroshenko's term, mediating efforts between European countries, Ukraine and Russia did not lead to any significant improvement in ending the years-long pro-Russian separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine. The peace talks could not produce a breakthrough over issues relating to the settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
Highlighting the significance of the reform process in the Ukraine, Önal said these efforts are significant in responding to citizens' expectations and maintaining economic stability, adding that Ankara provides support to Kiev in different areas including infrastructure and technical cooperation.
The Ukraine Reform Conference is an annual international event, taking place this year from July 2 to July 4, dedicated to an expert discussion on the progress of reforms in Ukraine. "It is an important step to unite Ukraine's international partners and friends, and to assess the democratic transformations and reforms, that have been taking place in the country since 2014," a Ukrainian government statement said. Decentralization reform and Ukraine's integration process into the Euro-Atlantic community were among the main topics of the conference.
The bilateral relations between Turkey and Ukraine have been gradually developing since the establishment of the High-Level Strategic Council in 2011 after the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement.