Dmytro Kuleba: ‘Quadriga’ opens new page not only in relations between Ukraine and Turkey, but also in development of region as a whole

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran have met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and held the first meeting of the new ‘Quadriga’ format of bilateral dialogue between Ukraine and Turkey. The Journalist reported with reference to the press center of the Foreign Ministry.

Dmytro Kuleba thanked Turkey for its unwavering support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. The parties paid key attention to the issue of the de-occupation of Crimea, in particular, the interaction of Ukraine and Turkey within the framework of the Crimean platform.

“We with our Turkish colleagues share the common opinion that the ‘quadriga’ mechanism under the leadership of our presidents will become an important driving force not only in Ukrainian-Turkish relations, but also in the development of the situation in our region in general,” the minister said.

Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed that Ukraine and Turkey have a very wide range of cooperation in almost all spheres: from economy to education, from tourism to healthcare. He separately noted that despite the pandemic, more than a million Ukrainians visited Turkey this year.

The parties discussed security in the Black Sea region and noted the importance of combining political, diplomatic and military efforts to strengthen peace, security and stability along the borders of two states.

The ministers discussed in detail the state and prospects for the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the military-technical and defense-industrial sectors.

Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar noted the extremely fruitful cooperation between the countries, which, in particular, allowed Ukraine to obtain the status of a partner with expanded NATO capabilities. He noted that Turkey is interested in joint military exercises, as well as in helping to create new opportunities for military education of Ukrainian youth.

As a result of the negotiations, the parties adopted a joint statement.

INFO: The ‘quadriga’ platform for consultations of the parties on political and security issues is based on the implementation of the agreements between the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey in Istanbul on October 16, 2020. It is planned that such meetings will be held annually. The next meeting of the ‘quadriga’ is scheduled for 2021 in Turkey.