EU Envoy Hails Turkiye's Push To Broker Peace Between Russia, Ukraine

The top European Union diplomat in Turkiye has praised Ankara for its efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.

"Turkiye was able to invite the two foreign ministers and get them to sit together," Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, head of the EU Delegation to Turkiye, said in an interview with Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF).

He was referring to a meeting between Sergey Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine, hosted by Turkiye's top diplomat Mevlut Cavusoglu in Antalya last week.

The talks were the first high-level interaction between Russia and Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also told Turkish media over the weekend that Ankara has played a "key role" in the global push to resolve the conflict.

"I can only agree with what he (Borrell) had to say. This is why this forum was at a very important juncture," Meyer-Landrut said.

"Unfortunately, diplomatic efforts at this stage have not yet achieved the desired results. So I think what is important now … is to continue to press for a cease-fire as quickly as possible, respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and doing everything to stop the terrible things going on."

The talks hosted by Turkiye were "hugely important ... and I think expectations were not excessively high," the EU envoy said.

"But the meeting was very important to bring the two governments … together and to launch a political process. This is a starting point, but now we need to continue and try to resolve the conflict on the ground," he noted.

"The shelling is going on, the firing is going on, the killing is going on, the dying is going on. And that's what needs to stop," he added.

At least 596 civilians have been killed and 1,067 injured since Russia launched its war on Ukraine, according to latest estimates by the UN, which has cautioned that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.

Nearly 2.7 million people have also fled to other countries, according to the UN refugee agency.

Antalya Diplomacy Forum 'was very important, timely'

Meyer-Landrut said the ADF was "a very important and timely meeting for the international community."

The three-day forum brought together participants from 75 countries, including 17 heads of state, 80 government ministers and 39 representatives of international organizations.

Anadolu Agency was the global communication partner for the event, which was held in the southern Turkish resort city from March 11 to 13.

Apart from Borrell, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi also attended the high-level forum and held several bilateral meetings.

Since it was held just weeks after Russia launched its war on Ukraine, Meyer-Landrut said the ADF gave the opportunity for talks "with representatives from many countries, from many continents, about their views on the situation, the consequences for them, and how they can help bring peace back to Europe."

"The particular efforts through Turkish diplomacy to have, for the first time since the beginning of the hostilities, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia meet here was very important," he said.

On the impact of sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West, Meyer-Landrut acknowledged that such measures "will probably not lead to an immediate end of hostilities."

"But the sanctions put a huge cost on the Russian economy, on the Russian financial system … on those who support the regime of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," he said.

"More than 800 people are listed and their belongings. Their assets have been frozen across Europe, the US and in many other countries."

Regarding the effect of sanctions on citizens in countries dependent on Russia for energy, the EU envoy said: "If you support those who fight for freedom and democracy, there will be a price. We know this will have a price."

He pointed out that there has been "a huge wave of support for Ukraine, both in accepting refugees and … also in terms of support for the Ukrainian struggle."

"So I have no doubt that people are aware and conscious that this fight will also have a price for them," Meyer-Landrut added.

Improving Turkiye-EU ties

On relations between Turkiye and the EU, Meyer-Landrut said the two sides have an opportunity to build on the "positive developments" seen last year.

"We saw positive developments in 2021. We have seen de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean. We have seen re-engagement and political talks, as well as high-level dialogue on important issues like health, climate, migration and security issues," he said.

Turkiye applied for EU membership in 1987 and accession talks began in 2005. The negotiations, however, stalled in 2007 due to objections raised by the Greek Cypriot administration and opposition from Germany and France.

"I think there is space to increase our cooperation and there are developments from the last year … which we can build on, so I hope that we can all contribute to improving this relationship," he added. -