The President of the Republic of Turkey will arrive in Kiev for talks.
Today, On February 3, Ukraine and Turkey will conclude an agreement on a free trade zone. The signing of the agreement will take place at a meeting between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev, reports the Chronicle.info with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
The purpose and program of Erdogan's visit
The President of the Republic of Turkey will arrive in Kiev for negotiations at a strategic level because of the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
February 3 at 13:00 The official ceremony will begin at the Mariinsky Palace. The meeting of the two presidents with media representatives is scheduled for 15:25.
Erdogan's plans for tête-à-tête talks with Zelensky became known a few weeks ago. According to the press service of the Turkish leader, Turkey is ready to play any role to reduce tensions between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
Ukraine and Turkey will sign an agreement on an FTA
As part of the visit of Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Ukraine, an agreement on a free trade zone between the countries will be signed.
Head of the Cabinet of Ministers Denys Shmyhal said that the FTA agreement with Turkey would be in the interests of Ukrainian business. Thanks to the signing of the agreement, export opportunities will be created, and Ukrainian enterprises will receive the potential for modernization, the opportunity to exchange experience and create new jobs.
It is worth noting that negotiations on free trade between Turkey and Ukraine have been going on since 2011, when the Declaration on the Strategic Partnership of the Countries was signed.
In 2021, the parties reached the «finish line» conclusion of an FTA agreement. Then the President of Turkey said that the signing of the agreement would increase the volume of bilateral trade to $10 billion.
In addition to the FTA agreement, three more documents will be approved at the meeting between Zelensky and Erdogan on February 3:
- framework agreement on cooperation in high technology, aviation and space industries;
- agreement on cooperation in the field of youth policy;
- changes to the agreement on strengthening cooperation between law enforcement agencies of the countries.
Turkey wants to be an intermediary between Ukraine and the Russian Federation
Recep Tayyip Erdogan several times offered Turkey's mediation in settling the situation in Ukraine. In particular, he took the initiative to hold a face-to-face meeting between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Ankara to discuss differences.
The President of the Republic of Turkey said that he was upset by the military atmosphere that has been established between Russia and Ukraine.
At the same time, he noted that Turkey has good relations with both states, but from the very beginning supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine and opposes steps of the Russian Federation, including the annexation of Crimea.
Erdogan also expressed the opinion that the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine is unrealistic and added that Ukraine — a strong state, not an ordinary country. The Turkish President believes that in order to take this step, Russia will first have to analyze the situation around the world.
Earlier, the Turkish leader said that Ankara would continue to fulfill its obligations within NATO in the event of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But he did not specify exactly what steps would be taken.
In addition, the Turkish Security Council, chaired by the president, called for a reduction in tension, since the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine cannot benefit either country.