Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara expects positive developments regarding the evacuation of civilians and injured people from Ukraine’s besieged city of Mariupol as it continues to coordinate work in this regard.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Akar said Turkey continues to coordinate evacuation efforts with Ukrainian and Russian authorities to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of Turkish citizens and other nationals.
“We hope for and expect positive developments within a short period of time,” Akar said.
Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Turkey has proposed a plan to help evacuate wounded people and dead bodies from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Turkey has been one of the countries leading efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has impacted millions of civilians. Turkey says it can facilitate peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, but says that a cease-fire and humanitarian corridors are needed first.
Within this scope, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Moscow decided to open another humanitarian corridor in Mariupol to evacuate civilians and foreign nationals at the request of Turkey.
Moscow will provide full assistance in the evacuation of civilians and foreign citizens in accordance with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's request to Putin, the ministry said.
On the other side, Turkey had previously stated it is ready to provide ships for the evacuation of civilians and those wounded in Mariupol.
