Role… Turkey is asking for a mediator in the war in Ukraine – What they discussed in the tripartite Erdogan-Zelensky-Guterres

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his intention to act as a mediator in the war in Ukraine, on the sidelines of the tripartite meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Lviv, Ukraine.

“We expressed our concern about the ongoing clashes around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. We don’t want to experience a new Chernobyl,” he said characteristically.

In joint statements issued immediately after the meeting, Erdogan pointed out that a total of 25 ships and about 625,000 tons of Ukrainian grain have been delivered to the world market since August 1, when the agreement came into force.

“In today’s contacts we focused on the steps that can be taken to increase the activities of the existing mechanism. In our tripartite meeting, we also assessed the possibilities of transforming the positive atmosphere created by the Istanbul Agreement into lasting peace. We particularly pointed out that the international community must take more responsibility in order to revive the diplomatic process.”

President Erdoğan, Ukrainian State President Zelenskiy and BM General Secretary Guterres held a joint press conference https://t.co/BxxUg034rD pic.twitter.com/JCaMwbxTBE

— ANADOLU AJANSI (@anadoluajansi) August 18, 2022

At the same time, he pledged to Zelensky that he would provide the necessary support for the reconstruction of Ukraine “as we have done so far”, while making extensive reference to the grain agreement.

“The whole world began to feel the positive consequences of the Istanbul Agreement, which made it possible to safely export Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea to the world.”

As Erdogan said, he maintains the belief that the war will eventually end at the negotiating table. “Indeed, Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Guterres agree on this point. The whole point is to determine the shortest and fairest path to the negotiating table. I believe that it is possible to start negotiations again based on the parameters that were established in Istanbul in March.”

In this context, the Turkish president expressed his intention to play the role of mediator “to provide all kinds of support to achieve this goal”.

LOOK: Turkish President Erdogan arrives in Lviv ahead of a meeting with Ukraine’s Zelenskiy and UN Chief Guterres to discuss the safe-transit agreement of Ukrainian grain exports https://t.co/m2JHsMwsPz pic.twitter.com/RgmQfWyKOS

— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) August 18, 2022

Gunderes is worried about Zaporizhia

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres did not hide his strong concern for safety at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, speaking to reporters after concluding a tripartite meeting with the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey in the city of Lviv.

He stressed that a military strike on the nuclear plant would be tantamount to “suicide” and repeated his call for the withdrawal of all military forces from the site. “The facilities must not be used in the context of any military operation,” Guterres stressed, calling for an agreement that would provide “guarantees for the security of the region.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that he has agreed to the parameters of a possible International Atomic Energy Agency escalation mission to Zaporizhia, stressing that Russia must stop its attacks in the region and immediately withdraw its troops from the nuclear power plant.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed his country’s support for Ukraine and expressed concern about the risk of a “new Chernobyl” referring to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “We are continuing our efforts to find a solution. We were and still are on the side of our Ukrainian friends,” Erdogan said before stressing that he did not want a “new Chernobyl.”

Referring to the resumption of grain exports from Ukrainian ports, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Moscow and Kyiv to show a “spirit of compromise” and ensure the successful implementation of the agreement reached in Istanbul. “From day one, all sides have worked professionally and in good faith” to resume grain exports, Guterres said, adding, “I appeal to continue this and to overcome all obstacles in a spirit of compromise so that all difficulties can be settled once and for all ».

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