Erdogan to reiterate mediation offer to end Ukraine war: Source

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Jan 2023 11:52

Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin confirms that Erdogan will speak by phone with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later today.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Reuters)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan intends to reiterate his country's goal to stop the war in Ukraine during a pre-scheduled phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, a diplomatic source said as quoted by Sputnik.

Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin confirmed that Erdogan will speak by phone with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today.

"In the coming year, President Erdogan intends to continue efforts to resume the negotiation process to achieve a ceasefire [in Ukraine]. With the ability to negotiate with the two sides, the Turkish president intends to continue offering his mediation. In this regard, today's telephone conversations will not be an exception," the source said.

According to the source, Erdogan intends to discuss the so-called gas hub proposal with Putin during their conversation.

“This is one of the main topics of the bilateral agenda, which is under the direct control of the two leaders. The Russian side previously announced the beginning of practical steps, and this is a coordinated process. In this regard, the leaders are also discussing details, and proposals," the source explained.

Putin and Erdogan directed relevant energy officials in both countries to thoroughly investigate the feasibility of establishing a gas hub in Turkey in mid-October.

In a related development, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez announced Monday that his country began working on the Russian-proposed gas hub project.

It is worth noting that the pipeline of the hub starts on the Russian coast, runs over 930 km through the Black Sea, and comes ashore in the Thrace region of Turkey.

It directly connects the largest gas reserves in Russia to the Turkish gas transportation network, providing reliable energy to Turkey, and South and Southeast Europe.