President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Minister of National Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akar.
The President thanked the Turkish high-ranking officials for Turkey's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"I am grateful to Turkey for constantly protecting and supporting Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, not recognizing the illegal occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. I am grateful for the support for the Crimean Tatars," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President stressed the special importance of the strategic partnership between Kyiv and Ankara and the readiness to further develop cooperation between the two countries in all areas of mutual interest.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the launch of a new bilateral mechanism of cooperation between the parties - political and security consultations in the Quadriga format.
"We believe that this is a historic moment, our countries have never worked in this format. "I congratulate both Ukraine and Turkey on the launch of the Quadriga format, in which we can move faster," the President said.
Turkish officials have also reaffirmed Ankara's position on the illegal annexation of Crimea. The President expressed gratitude for the willingness of the Turkish party to join the work of the "Crimean Platform", where Turkey has a special role to play.
The Turkish party confirmed that official Ankara will support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine within all platforms and expressed willingness to continue to actively participate in the protection of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people in the occupied Crimea, to assist in the resettlement of internally displaced persons and in the release of Ukrainian citizens illegally detained in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia.
The Turkish delegation congratulated Ukraine on gaining the status of NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner.
The parties noted the mutual willingness to develop trade and economic cooperation in order to achieve the goal of $ 10 billion in bilateral trade set by the heads of state for the near future.
The interlocutors also noted the positive dynamics of the development of defense and military-technical cooperation. A number of practical issues were discussed in the context of the implementation of the Military Framework Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Turkey of October 16, 2020.
Following the negotiations, the parties confirmed the agreement to hold a regular meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council in early 2021.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Kyiv.