24 April 2023, 18:15
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Sentop. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Conference of the Presidents of the EU Parliaments, which is currently taking place in Prague.
The parties discussed the main issues of inter-parliamentary cooperation and cooperation in the dimension of the security space of Europe and the world as a whole.
In particular, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament called on Turkey, as a NATO member state, to support Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic perspective.
“I hope that Turkey will support Ukraine’s aspirations to join the North Atlantic Alliance. For Ukraine, the support of the Turkish Parliament is important, especially on the eve of the NATO Summit in Vilnius,” Ruslan Stefanchuk urged his Turkish counterpart.
He also thanked Turkey, the President of the Republic and its Parliament for their leadership in food security, in particular, for Turkey’s contribution to reaching agreements on the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its continuation.
The interlocutors also touched upon the Republic’s support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s peace formula. The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament called on Turkey to take under its patronage certain points of Ukraine’s peace initiative and join others.
The parties also touched upon the issues of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration, where mutual cooperation is an important factor in our countries’ full EU membership, and the establishment of a special tribunal for russia to determine its guilt in the crime of aggression.
The Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Sentop, on behalf of the Turkish people and the National Assembly, expressed gratitude for the solidarity and assistance of Ukraine during the recent tragic events in Turkey, despite the fact that Ukraine itself is at war.
“Such solidarity towards us and all the humanitarian support is highly appreciated by the Turkish people and will never be forgotten,” said Mustafa Sentop.
He also noted that Turkey strongly supports the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.
“Our support for Ukraine in its just struggle will continue. This policy is a principled position that Turkey has been adhering to since the illegal annexation of Crimea.
All our MPs and government officials clearly demonstrate this position and its support at every international platform and at every opportunity, including during our meetings with the russian side,” the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey said.
He also assured his Ukrainian counterpart that political, humanitarian and technical assistance to Ukraine would continue, with Turkey giving priority to projects in the context of reconstruction, which is of great importance for Ukraine’s future.