Türkiye has summoned both Ukraine's ambassador and Russia's acting charge d'affaires to express its concerns regarding recent strikes on Russia-linked vessels inside its exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, Deputy Foreign Minister Ayşe Berris Ekinci told lawmakers Thursday.
Speaking before the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Ekinci said the past several weeks have seen a sharp rise in reciprocal attacks between Moscow and Kyiv, including incidents that have now reached waters under Türkiye’s jurisdiction.
“We are observing a very serious escalation in the Russia–Ukraine conflict,” she said. “Most recently, certain attacks took place in the Black Sea within our own exclusive economic zone. For that reason, we summoned Russia’s acting charge d’affaires yesterday and Ukraine’s ambassador today to communicate our concerns.”
Ankara underscores that it will not allow the security of the Black Sea to be threatened by any country, not only by the directly involved actors. All three countries have the Black Sea as at least part of their coastline.
Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, Türkiye has played a leading role in securing consensus on key issues such as the Black Sea Grain Initiative and prisoner exchanges, prioritizing efforts toward ending the war.
As the war continues to inflict damage on both Ukraine and Russia, Türkiye remains one of the rare countries maintaining dialogue with both sides and stands ready to provide any support needed throughout the peace process.
