Türkiye is prepared to “assume responsibility” for the security of the Black Sea once a peace agreement is signed between Russia and Ukraine, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said.
“There is nothing more natural than Türkiye assuming responsibility in this regard, given its role as a NATO member with the largest fleet in the Black Sea,” Fidan added.
He made the remarks after attending a Tuesday (6 January) meeting of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” in Paris.
Led by France, Germany, and the UK, the coalition includes 35 countries that have pledged stepped-up support for Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.
While Türkiye is not an official coalition member, it has continued to play a mediating role between the two warring parties.
Fidan described Tuesday’s coalition meeting in the French capital as a “critical summit” that had served to highlight Ankara’s “role as mediator.”
“After four years of war, we are now quite close to a lasting peace,” he said, speaking to reporters at Türkiye’s Paris embassy after the meeting.
“At the very least, certain areas that are key to achieving peace are being discussed in extremely detailed fashion,” he added. “Türkiye has contributed to this process.”
Fidan also voiced hope that, once peace is realised, Türkiye would play a “major role in [Ukraine’s] economic revitalisation and development.”
According to the foreign minister, a prospective Russia-Ukraine peace agreement would not only end the war in Ukraine, but would also serve to “determine the modalities of peace between Russia and Europe” in the post-war era.
In terms of Black Sea security, Fidan stressed that the Turkish military has “always held the position that Türkiye would assume responsibility for the naval component … in the event of peace.”
In his remarks to the press, Fidan also referred to the current situation in Syria, describing recent Israeli military activity in the country’s southwest as “provocative.”
“These provocative actions are an extension of Israel’s expansionist and divisive policies in the region,” he said.
“It is important for regional stability that the necessary assessments are made and that appropriate measures are taken.”
“This is something that must be done together with the countries of the region, and there are also serious roles that the United States can play in this regard,” he added.
Fidan said he had raised the issue with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani, who was also in Paris for a separate meeting with U.S. and Israeli officials.
“We are in constant consultation with both the Syrian and American sides,” Ankara’s top diplomat said.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
Azerbaijan and the UK have pledged to strengthen defence, trade and education cooperation after signing a joint declaration elevating relations to a strategic level in Dublin, Ireland on Thursday (12 November).
More than 333,000 people have been forced from their homes in Yemen since the beginning of August as fighting has escalated, including more than 24,000 in the past week alone, the United Nations said on Thursday.
A court in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad has sentenced human rights lawyer Maria Bontsler to 12 years in prison on treason charges, after prosecutors accused her of passing sensitive information to Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to double tariffs on Mexico unless it stops more than a thousand migrants who are walking north towards the United States, warning that they will be denied entry.
A gunman shot dead his building’s manager and wounded four other people in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, before barricading himself inside his apartment and taking his own life after a standoff with police, officials said.
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