Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın discussed plans to establish a humanitarian contact group for civilians in Ukraine with a top United Nations aid official in the capital Ankara on Monday.
Kalın and U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths discussed the current situation in Ukraine and providing the people with humanitarian assistance.
The plan to establish the humanitarian contact group on Ukraine, which will include officials from Russia, Ukraine, the U.N. and Turkey, was reviewed in depth.
The importance of Turkey’s diplomacy in opening humanitarian corridors in war zones in Ukraine and evacuating civilians was also stressed during the meeting.
The need to reach a cease-fire and make progress in peace talks to end Ukraine's present humanitarian crisis was emphasized and satisfaction was expressed for the evacuations from Mariupol.
“Our multifaceted initiatives to end the war in Ukraine and deliver humanitarian assistance continue,” Kalın said in a statement he posted on Twitter. He continued by noting that the continuation of the war does not benefit anyone and that plans to establish a new order would create new conflicts.
Meanwhile, Turkey and the U.N. agreed to maintain close coordination and cooperation to prevent humanitarian crises.
Last month, Griffiths said Turkey “comes closest” among other countries to fulfilling the role as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia on humanitarian issues.
In March, the U.N. said some 90% of the Ukrainian population could fall into deep poverty.
The Russian invasion has devastated several Ukrainian cities, caused a humanitarian crisis and forced millions to flee their homes.