President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held negotiations with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. The President of Turkey once again expressed support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and underscored non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea. He also expressed condolences over the death of four Ukrainian servicemen despite the ceasefire regime.
The Presidents focused attention on the development of trade and economic cooperation, and expressed willingness to conclude the negotiations on the Free Trade Area Agreement as soon as possible. The discussions on increasing trade turnover will be continued at the Eighth High Level Strategic Council that will be held this year.
The meeting touched upon tourism development and investments. Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited representatives of Turkey to visit the forum on Donbas reconstruction, which will be held in Mariupol in the autumn, and to invest in infrastructure projects in Ukraine.
In addition, the Heads of State discussed the issues of the Minsk negotiations and the war in Donbas.
The parties also touched upon the protection of the rights of Crimean Tatars in Crimea.
"More than 100 captives are illegally kept in Russia and in the occupied Crimea. We urge Turkey to continue to raise the issue of their release. It is also important for the benefit of all Black Sea countries to call for the release of Ukrainian sailors,” the Head of State emphasized.
President Zelenskyy also noted that Ukraine would improve its business climate and guarantee protection for the Turkish investors and entrepreneurs.
Upon completion of the bilateral negotiations, the protocol on the agreements on space use and exploration was signed between the National Space Agency of Ukraine and the National Space Agency of Turkey in the presence of the Heads of State.
The document was signed by Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Andriy Sybiha and Head of the National Space Agency of Turkey Serdar Hüseyin Yıldırım.