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French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict as well as regional and global issues, the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications said in a statement on social media.
The directorate said Erdoğan told Macron that Türkiye strived for a fair and lasting peace to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. Erdoğan also said that they were in touch with the sides for the revival of the Istanbul Talks, referring to earlier negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. “Türkiye is ready to open the door to peace as soon as possible,” Erdoğan was quoted as telling Macron.
Erdoğan and Macron last held talks on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in South Africa in November. Two days after their talks, Macron told an interview that Türkiye, along with the U.K. and French forces, may be part of what is planned to be called the “reassurance force” once peace is achieved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
After Macron’s remarks, Turkish Defense Ministry sources reiterated Ankara’s commitment to peace between Russia and Ukraine and said the country may contribute troops to a peacekeeping force planned for deployment in Ukraine. “The Turkish Armed Forces are prepared to contribute to any initiative aimed at ensuring security and stability in our region,” the sources said. “First and foremost, a cease-fire must be established between Russia and Ukraine. Then, a mission framework, with a clear definition of objectives, as well as the contribution of each country, must be determined,” they added.
In their phone call on Wednesday, Erdoğan told Macron the importance of advancing cooperation between Türkiye and France. On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Erdoğan told his French counterpart that diplomatic means should be efficiently utilized to achieve lasting peace and pledged Türkiye’s increasing support to ensure a cease-fire and the work after it is declared. He also underlined that steps that may harm global peace should be avoided. The two leaders also discussed the latest developments in the Caucasus, Gaza and Syria.
