Over the past month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continued his diplomatic efforts and took several initiatives to address regional concerns, ranging from the Syrian conflict to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Following the Tripartite Summit in Astana Format with the Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran and the Istanbul Agreement signed by Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine on the reopening of Ukrainian ports for grain exports in July, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan headed to the Russian city of Sochi on August 5 and Ukrainian city of Lviv on August 18 to meet with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.
The talks in Sochi focused on the recent developments in Syria, Ukraine, bilateral ties and international concerns, and concluded with President Erdoğan and President Putin agreeing to boost cooperation in the energy, transport, agriculture, finance, and construction industries.
In a joint statement released after the four-hour meeting, the two leaders underlined the need for the full implementation of the “Istanbul Agreement".
Russian President Putin thanked President Erdoğan for his involvement in signing the deal, and added, “Success has been achieved in launching the shipment of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports through the UN and Türkiye."
Regarding the ongoing Turkish-Russian Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Project, President Erdoğan stressed the importance of building the plant under the recommended timeframe.
"It is crucial that the agreed-on calendar work and that Akkuyu be completed on time as it will handle 10 percent of Türkiye's energy potential in energy supply," Erdoğan added.
As part of Türkiye's endeavors for lasting peace in the region, President Erdoğan also met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the Potocki Palace on August 18. The two leaders were accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and senior officials, including Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.
President Erdoğan and President Zelenskyy discussed the bilateral relations focusing on the economy, trade, and defense industry in the context of the ongoing war and held a trilateral summit with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss the continuation of the mechanism established for the export of Ukrainian grain to global markets.