Erdoğan: Black Sea must remain safe for shipping, not arena of confrontation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made the remarks to journalists while traveling after the International Peace and Security Forum in Turkmenistan, on the sidelines of which he met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Ukrinform reports, citing TRT Haber.

“The Black Sea should not be seen as an arena for settling scores. Such a situation would only harm Russia and Ukraine, and would not benefit them in any way. Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea. This must be ensured,” Erdoğan said.

The Turkish president also shared details of his meeting with Putin.

“We exchanged views with Mr. Putin on our bilateral relations, the war in Ukraine, and regional issues. We noted that we view the dialogue initiated by Mr. Trump positively, and discussed with him the contributions our country could make to peace efforts,” the Turkish leader said.

According to Erdoğan, Putin promised to visit Turkey in the near future.

“Peace is not far away; we see that. All we need to do is turn our course towards where peace lies,” Erdoğan said.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, during yesterday’s meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan, the feasibility of introducing a ceasefire on energy facilities and ports was discussed.

Photo: AA