Cavusoglu added that the tripartite contact in Turkey with his counterparts from Russia, Sergey Lavrov, and Ukraine, Dimitri Kuleba, prior to the beginning of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, took place “when the need for peace is greatest.”

In a message published on Thursday by local media, the diplomat noted that Turkey will promote new initiatives with “the hope of restoring peace in our region,” and explained in relation to this recent meeting that, although “no one expected that all the problems would be solved, it was necessary to have a beginning.”

Following the meeting of the three foreign ministers in the Turkish city of Antalya, which concluded at 12:50 hours, local time, after one and a half hours of talks, the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine also made statements about what was discussed at the meeting.

Lavrov condemned the West’s response to Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, which are evidence of a “life and death” struggle for his country’s right to be on the political map of the world with full respect for its legitimate interests.

Russia wants to see a demilitarized and friendly Ukraine, where “there is no threat of another Nazi State being created,” he stressed.

For his part, Kuleba was in favor of diplomatic dialogue in a format like Thursday’s, and assured that “when the Russian side is ready, I will also be ready to continue. We will do everything possible for peace.”

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