President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The President thanked Turkey for its strong support for Ukraine's path to full NATO membership, in particular during the Alliance's summit in Brussels. "I especially appreciate this friendly manifestation given the Russian aggression against Ukraine," he stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Turkey is developing dynamically and is an example of true friendly relations backed by concrete actions.
The leaders exchanged views on the importance of deepening security and defense cooperation. "Deepening cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey is an important factor in ensuring peace and stability in the Black Sea Region, and a real example of such work is cooperation in the Quadriga format," said the President of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also discussed prospects for cooperation in the energy sector. The President of Ukraine noted that for our country, as well as for Turkey, the task of diversifying the sources and routes of natural gas supply is urgent. An agreement was reached on joint elaboration of possible options for cooperation in this area.
In addition, the presidents noted the intensification of the work of the negotiating group and stated the need to finalize the Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and Turkey.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed that as a result of the agreements reached during the last meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, the Agreement on Construction of Housing for Internally Displaced Persons was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for ratification.
Separately, the President of Ukraine stressed the importance of adopting the Law "On Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine", in particular for the Crimean Tatars.
The President of Ukraine noted the active participation of Turkey in the Conference on Reforms in Ukraine, which took place in Lithuania, in particular the speech of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
The leaders reaffirmed their agreement to hold the next Strategic Partnership Council in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his firm support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, for not recognizing the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and for protecting the rights and legitimate interests of the Crimean Tatar people.