Ankara has reason to hope for the success of the Istanbul talks, which would be the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in over three years, to end the conflict, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday.
Speaking at a news conference after an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in the southern Turkish province of Antalya, Fidan also underlined that they had to encourage the sides to compromise so they could reach a settlement.
“If the parties’ positions are harmonized and trust is established, a very important step toward peace will have been taken,” Fidan told reporters.
“We have enough reasons to be hopeful,” he added.
“Today, Ukrainian President Mr. (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy is in Ankara in talks with our President (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan). A technical delegation from Russia is in Istanbul. (U.S. Secretary of State Marco) Rubio is also with us here in Antalya,” he said.
“These visits alone show that the will necessary for peace is finally emerging.”
Despite initially proposing talks in Istanbul on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared poised to skip the meeting, despite Zelenskyy agreeing to attend in person.
Instead, Moscow has dispatched a team headed by hardline former Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky to Istanbul. Zelenskyy has dismissed this as a “show” delegation, which appeared to have little authority to take any concrete decisions.
Fidan continued by expressing the need to “display a shared effort for the reconstruction of Syria” following the ouster of Bashar Assad in an anti-regime offensive last December.
“We are pleased to see as Türkiye our efforts on this front have yielded results,” Fidan said, referring to a surprise announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Erdoğan joined via teleconference an in-person meeting between Trump and Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Shara,a earlier this week.
Trump then said the U.S. would lift sanctions on Syria in a move that could expedite a process that will cost at least $250 billion, according to World Bank estimates.
Ankara and Damascus agree that the stability and security of Syria is the top priority, Fidan continued, referring to the Daesh terrorists still active across northern Syria.
Fidan also said Ankara welcomes an agreement between Damascus and the YPG, the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist group, to reintegrate into the new Syrian army. The PKK, which killed thousands in a four-decade terror campaign against the Turkish state, announced it would disarm and disband in a historic decision on Monday.
“There is a statement here (YPG-Damascus agreement), but we expect these promises to be fulfilled,” Fidan said. “We speak to our interlocutors, and we see that there has been no step taken by the YPG so far. We expect these steps to be implemented.”
Fidan also announced U.S. soldiers, stationed in northeastern Syria for the anti-Daesh coalition, may soon withdraw from the region.
The issue was brought up in all meetings between Erdoğan and Trump so far, according to the minister, who said he and Rubio would discuss the necessary steps to put said decisions into practice.
On Gaza, Fidan emphasized the unfolding tragedy in the battered enclave and warned the situation was “worsening.”
"The majority of the public is waiting for Mr. Trump to take action to stop the ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Gaza. Deaths from starvation, which is caused by the blocking of humanitarian aid, are increasing. It will remain a dark stain on human history,” Fidan warned.
"We must work with all our might for a two-state solution in Palestine. This is necessary for global security. Failure to prevent this is related to the crisis and deadlock in the international system."
The top diplomat also touched upon the defense cooperation between Türkiye and European countries, emphasizing that it was imperative to develop an appropriate cooperation model.
He argued that a “program for Europeans to become self-sufficient” has emerged with Trump’s announcement that he would pull U.S. support from the European security architecture.
“It is not easy to immediately create certain capacities in the defense industry. Here, Türkiye's position is that our industry is quite advanced, and we are ready for mutual exchange. The EU needs to develop a cooperation plan that will include non-member countries,” Fidan said.
Even though Türkiye and the U.K. are not members, they are part of Europe, he said.
“Developing a suitable cooperation model is not a choice but a necessity. This mutual solidarity and trust bear fruit in every field."
