Despite Türkiye's diplomatic efforts since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, some countries seem to want the war to continue, Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop said Friday.
Before completing his visit, Şentop on Friday met with the head of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Duarte Pacheco on the sidelines of the G-20 Parliament Speakers' Summit in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
During the meeting, Şentop emphasized that the first duty of the parliaments, the representatives of the people, is to help maintain peace, tranquility and prosperity, and drew attention to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war and the effects of the conflict.
"Türkiye has been striving to bring the leaders together from the very beginning. In my opinion, unlike public statements, some countries do not want the war to end," he said.
Pacheco extended his thanks to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by pointing out the importance of his intense efforts to solve the problem.
Most recently, Türkiye enabled a prisoner swap between the warring countries. Also, Turkish mediation proved effective in facilitating the signing of a deal between Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul to reopen certain Ukrainian ports to release grain that had been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war – a development that has been crucial in responding to a growing global food crisis.
Türkiye is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis.
With its unique position of having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has won widespread praise for its push to end the war.
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. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
In a breakthrough, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for peace talks in Istanbul on March 29 as the war entered its second month, with casualties piling up on both sides. Türkiye also hosted the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Antalya in March.
