Ankara adheres to a fair and balanced approach on the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. We did not allow Turkey to draw into a crisis. This was stated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on Saturday in the province of Bayburt.
The Turkish leader noted that after the crisis of the pandemic, Turkey was faced with a new challenge in the person of war in Ukraine.
“during the pandemic period, our enterprises were idle for months. Production in many areas decreased sharply. The situation in developed countries was even more deplorable. As a result, we were able to overcome the crisis of coronavirus, but encountered a new challenge between our neighbors in the Black Sea region” – said the president.
Erdogan recalled that the day before he held negotiations in Istanbul with Ukrainian colleague Vladimir Zelensky, and on August a meeting was planned with Russian colleague Vladimir Putin.
“The war in Ukraine has been going on for a year and a half. We have been striving to minimize its negative impact on our country. However, the fact is that any processes near Turkey affect the Turkish economy,” the president emphasized.