Kyiv, 18 August 2022
In Lviv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who arrived in our country on a visit.
The Head of State noted the importance of this visit: “This is a strong message of support from such a powerful country as Turkey.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the Republic of Turkey for its constant support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
During a meeting, the interest in further reliable partnership with Turkey was emphasized. The leaders discussed the entire complex of bilateral relations and agreed that further expansion of cooperation between the states would strengthen both sides.
The Presidents positively assessed the implementation of the grain export initiative. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the leading role of Turkey and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally in the launch and implementation of this initiative. The Head of State noted that it helps overcome the global food crisis.
The leaders discussed the possibility of improving the initiative, strengthening the security of its implementation and increasing the volume of relevant exports.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also discussed the issue of Russia’s large-scale theft of grain in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. In particular, it was pointed out that the occupiers appropriated almost 0.5 million tons of grain. The leaders agreed that any trade in stolen goods is unacceptable.
“Russia’s attempts to sell stolen goods must be stopped,” emphasized Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The leaders also discussed the situation around the Zaporizhzhia NPP and nuclear blackmail by the Russian Federation whose actions threaten Ukraine and the whole world with catastrophe. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Russian nuclear blackmail at the Zaporizhzhia NPP is one of the biggest risks created by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to the Head of State, the mission and duty of every country should be a tough and consistent reaction to any manifestations of nuclear blackmail in order to stop it.
“Russia must withdraw its troops from the plant immediately,” the President of Ukraine emphasized.
In addition, the leaders touched upon the issues of defense interaction, discussed the prospects of cooperation in this direction.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope for the participation of the President of Turkey in the second summit of the Crimea Platform.
The President of Ukraine personally and on behalf of his wife Olena thanked the First Lady of Turkey for her participation in the Kyiv Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which was held recently.
Lviv: Memorandum on Türkiye’s participation in the reconstruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure signed
Kyiv, 18 August 2022
In Lviv, in the presence of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Infrastructure Recovery was signed, which provides for the participation of the Turkish side in the post-war reconstruction of our country.The document was signed by Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov and Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye Mehmet Muş.
“Türkiyeis our strategic ally. We are grateful to our Turkish partners for their willingness to cooperate in the recovery of the infrastructure destroyed by Russia. The Turkish business has extensive experience in the construction of roads and bridges, in particular the Zaporizhzhia and Kremenchuk bridges, and has proven itself as a reliable partner. Therefore, we expect the concrete practical results of joint reconstruction shortly,” Oleksandr Kubrakov said.
It is envisaged that Turkish state and business structures will be able to develop specific recovery projects, as well as provide consulting and technical assistance.As the first project, the reconstruction of the bridge in the village of Romanivka, Kyiv region, which connects Bucha and Irpin with the capital, is being considered. It was destroyed at the beginning of a full-scale Russian invasion, and in fact this stopped the aggressor’s advance on the capital.In the near future, a joint Ukrainian-Turkish working group on reconstruction issues will be created, within which the mechanisms of attracting Turkish investments in specific projects will be worked out.
Source – President of Ukraine