An appeal to give diplomacy a chance was addressed to Russia and Ukraine by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his video message at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit in Tirana.

“I maintain the view that diplomacy and dialogue should be given a chance to end the war with a just and lasting peace. To achieve this goal, it is extremely important to use all diplomatic channels to the maximum extent,” the Turkish president said.

He stated that Turkey is ready to restore the initiative of negotiations in Istanbul to build peace.

He also expressed the opinion that it is necessary to at least jointly start work on defining the general parameters of peace, stressing that he supports “in principle the ten-point peace plan of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky”.

President Erdogan also said: “Turkey’s support for the independence, sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Ukraine is well known. We are also making every effort to protect the rights and interests of our fellow Crimean Tatars.”

Finally, he pointed out that there is a need for a regulation that would ensure the safety of merchant ships in the Black Sea. “In this context, in cooperation with the United Nations, we are continuing our contacts for a new arrangement that will include security commitments in the Black Sea,” he stressed.