'Any talks should consider Russian legitimate interests, concerns': FM
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hold a press conference revealing their positions on a flurry of regional and global issues.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pictured together before a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, 7 April 2023. (AFP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu met today in Ankara. In a joint press conference, the ministers revealed the conclusions of their discussions on Russian-Turkish relations, the Ukrainian crisis, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, the Palestinian situation, and the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Cavusoglu said on Friday, "We held one-on-one talks, then the delegations met." Commenting on the situation in Ukraine the Turkish Minister said, “Certainly, Ukraine was one of the topics discussed at our meetings, and we also discussed a number of regional problems."
Cavusglu revealed his concerns about the possible escalation during spring in Ukraine, saying, “There will be no winner in this war.” He then added, “We believe that the war will end with negotiations, so we continue to make efforts. We will continue our objective and balanced policy.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speculated a possible counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces in the coming weeks.
On his part, Lavrov reaffirmed that negotiations on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine should take into account Russian legitimate interests and concerns
"Both the president and other Russian officials have repeatedly said that we do not refuse to negotiate, but these negotiations can only be on the basis that we have outlined, on the basis of taking into account Russia's interests, legitimate interests, Russia's legitimate concerns,” the Russian Foreign Minister stated in the joint press conference.
A new poll showed that many #Americans are growing impatient with the US government's support of #Ukraine and want to see diplomatic efforts exerted toward putting an end to the conflict before more "aid" gets pumped into Kiev.#Russia pic.twitter.com/VzicgtnGXY
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 30, 2022
Lavrov explained that Russia is ready to consider serious proposals for negotiations with the United States. However, he also highlighted how Russian concerns over the negotiation process had been ignored by Western countries.
As for a proposal made by Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia, Lavrov said the Russian diplomat did not just make this suggestion to hold a meeting between Blinken and Lavrov out of the blue, “They began to ask him... 'will Lavrov meet with Blinken or not?' He said that if such a request is put forward, we will consider it. We regularly say in such situations that we never refuse serious proposals for dialogue.”
Gas hub In Turkey
The parties also discussed the construction of a gas hub in Turkey, as well as the operation of the Akkuyu power plant in Turkey, which is set to be completed in 2023.
"We discussed in detail the implementation of bilateral strategic projects in the energy sector, which are traditionally the locomotive in our relations. First of all, we are talking about the Akkuyu NPP, the first NPP on Turkish soil,” the top diplomat stated.
In October 2022, the presidents of both countries instructed the relevant authorities to study the possibility of creating a gas hub in Turkey that diverts gas supply from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines.
Black Sea Grain Initiative
The Turkish official pushed for the lifting of all obstacles that hinder the supply of Russian grain and fertilizers to the world market.
He said, "We are in solidarity that it is necessary to remove obstacles to the supply of Russian fertilizers and grains."
Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations signed a deal to ensure the flow of food and fertilizers from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports on 22 July 2022.
Lavrov hinted that Russia might stop the grain deal if there is no progress on the fulfillment of the Russian clauses in the deal.
Ankara-Yerevan relations
The diplomats also discussed the normalization of diplomatic ties between Turkey and Armenia.
In the press conference, Cavusoglu said "We also discussed the normalization of Ankara's relations with Yerevan, as well as the situation in Transcaucasia. We hope that a comprehensive peace agreement will be concluded between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which will contribute to stability in the region.”
Syrian Settlement
Finally, the parties went over the situation in Syria and the upcoming ministerial meeting between Syria, Russia, Iran, and Turkey. The deputy foreign ministers of the countries met on April 4.
In the opening ceremony of the meeting, the Russian Foreign Minister was quoted as saying that Russia expects Syrian and Turkish officials to be "as constructive as possible."
Syria made the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria a condition that precedes any diplomatic talks between the two countries.
Before the meeting, the head of the Syrian delegation and Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister Ayman Sousan affirmed that Turkey’s formal and unequivocal announcement that its forces will exit completely from Syrian territory is "the gateway to re-establish communication between the two sides."
