Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited Ukraine on 17-18 December 2020 for the preparations of the 9th High Level Strategic Council meeting and to attend the “Quadriga” meeting, which is held in 2+2 format with the participation of Foreign and Defense Ministers.
Before the visit, Minister Çavuşoğlu had a meeting in Ankara with the Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Turkey Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut.
Minister Çavuşoğlu stated that the problems with the EU could be solved through dialogue and diplomacy within the framework of our full membership goal, that a positive agenda would be beneficial for both sides, and that we were expecting the EU to encourage Member States towards this positive agenda as well.
Later that day in Ankara, on the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi of Iraq, Minister Çavuşoğlu signed the Memorandum of Understanding on cultural cooperation between our countries with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and stated that we would further strengthen our cultural ties with the brotherly people of Iraq.
During his visit to Ukraine, Minister Çavuşoğlu first met with the Leader of Crimean Tatars Mustafa Kırımoğlu, First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar and deputies Rustem Umerov and Ahtem Ciygoz.
Minister Çavuşoğlu emphasized that we would not recognize illegal annexation of Crimea, and that we would always stand by our Crimean Tatar Turkish brothers and sisters.
On 18 December 2020 Minister Çavuşoğlu had a fruitful meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal of Ukraine.
Minister Çavuşoğlu stated that our bilateral trade volume was nearly 5 billion US Dollars, that our goal was 10 billion US Dollars, that the Free Trade Agreement would help to reach that goal, and that we would further our cooperation in every field from energy to defense industry.
On the same day, Minister Çavuşoğlu discussed the latest situation in Donbass with Ambassador Halit Çevik, Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Special Observation Mission to Ukraine.
Minister Çavuşoğlu expressed that our Ambassadors who presided the Mission since the beginning fulfilled an important task, that Donbass issue should be resolved diplomatically, and that the Minsk Agreements should be fully implemented.
Later that day, Minister Çavuşoğlu met with our Ahiska Turks kinsmen, stressed that we were following up all the needs of Ahiska Turks in Ukraine, and that our support to Ahiska Turk brothers and sisters would always continue.
Later, Minister Çavuşoğlu also met with representatives of Gagauz Turks in Ukraine, and noted that we were pleased to see the increasing power of our kinsmen in local politics, and that our support would continue in culture and education to promote the Gagauz identity.
On the same day, Minister Çavuşoğlu was received by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and conveyed him the greetings of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Minister Çavuşoğlu stated that our bilateral relations with Ukraine were at an excellent level, and that we would hold the 9th High Level Strategic Council meeting in Turkey next year.
Later, Minister Çavuşoğlu attended the “Quadriga” meeting which was held in 2+2 format with the participation of Foreign and Defense Ministers from Turkey and Ukraine, and also the Ambassadors Conference of Ukraine.
Minister Çavuşoğlu declared that he was honored to address the Conference of Ambassadors and to receive the “Angel of Good” award, and that he thanked his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and the people of Ukraine.
