The Russia-Ukraine war does not only concern the two countries involved in the conflict, but the region and the world as a whole, Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop said Monday.
"This is no longer an issue between Russia and Ukraine but has become a problem that threatens regional and world peace in general," Şentop told reporters in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, where he is attending a meeting of EU parliament speakers.
Noting that there is a great risk due to the war, Şentop said Russia’s invasion has become the highlight of all meetings and that almost everyone he has spoken with so far, including Russian Parliament Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and his Polish, Romanian and Slovenian counterparts, want an immediate cease-fire.
Regarding the next negotiation talks being held in Istanbul, Şentop said it was the right decision.
"This was supposed to happen, because we’ve been following developments since the beginning of the war and Turkey is the only country that has been holding talks with both Russia and Ukraine and exerting efforts to ensure a cease-fire," the parliament speaker said.
He noted that while all leaders express a desire for a truce, holding talks with both sides and convincing them to come together to hold discussions is crucial. He added that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been striving to ensure this since the beginning.
"Hopefully the meeting that will be held in Turkey will lead to an immediate cease-fire," he added.
On Sunday, Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that the next round of negotiation talks would be held in Turkey's largest metropolis Istanbul on March 28-30.
Erdoğan told Putin that a cease-fire and peace need to be established between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible, as he highlighted the humanitarian situation on the ground and said Turkey was ready to provide assistance in this regard.
Erdoğan said last week that Russia and Ukraine appeared to have reached an understanding on four out of six negotiating points: Ukraine staying out of NATO, the use of the Russian language in Ukraine, disarmament and security guarantees.
Kuleba said Friday, however, that there was "no consensus" on key points with Russia.
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.
NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Having recently called Russia’s invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close energy, defense and tourism ties.
While forging close ties with Russia on energy, defense and trade, and relying heavily on Russian tourists, Turkey has sold drones to Ukraine, which angered Moscow. Turkey also opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as Moscow’s annexation of Crimea.
Erdoğan has repeatedly said Turkey will not abandon its relations with Russia or Ukraine, underlining that Ankara’s ability to speak to both sides is an asset.