On Wednesday in Istanbul, at the negotiations on navigation in the Black Sea, a meeting of Ukrainian and Turkish representatives will first take place, and then an expanded meeting between Ukraine, Turkey, the UN and Russia. This was announced by Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak in a Telegram channel.
“Unblocking Ukrainian ports is one of the key components of global food security. We need to do this as soon as possible. We believe that the issue of unblocking Ukrainian grain exports should be resolved under the auspices of the UN. Secretary General António Guterres is involved in this process, we are grateful to him for this,” Yermak said.
He said “the strong position of our military in the Black Sea will allow the return of safe navigation of ships, which is also important for ensuring the protection of national and regional security. This is a priority for Ukraine. This will restore the export of Ukrainian grain and ensure the food security of the world.”
According to him, a round of negotiations on navigation in the Black Sea will be held tomorrow in Istanbul. “A meeting of Ukrainian and Turkish representatives is planned there. After that, an expanded meeting will be held between Ukraine, Turkey, the UN and Russia, at which the issues of the functioning of sea corridors for grain exports should be discussed. For Ukraine, the issue of security is a key one. I will tell you the details in due course,” the head of the President’s Office said.
Representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN will gather in Istanbul in the coming days to discuss a plan of action on the situation around problems with grain exports, the Turkish Anadolu agency reports, citing its own data.
“The details of the road map will be discussed in the coming days during the meeting, which will be attended by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and UN representatives,” the statement said.
According to Anadolu, the meeting will consider issues related to “insurance and security of ships, as well as demining the region.”
The agency indicates that it is planned to create a coordination center in Istanbul, which “should allow sending about 20 million tons of grain and sunflower seeds from Russia and Ukraine to world markets.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, repeated his proposal to upgrade the talks in Istanbul to the level of leaders, the Turkish presidential administration said.
“President Erdogan reiterated his proposal to elevate the Istanbul process, an important stage for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, to the level of leaders,” the Turkish presidential administration said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Emphasizing the importance of ensuring the ceasefire, the effective operation of humanitarian corridors and the safe conduct of the evacuation, Erdogan said that Turkey will continue to make every effort to end the current state of affairs, which is detrimental to everyone, and establish a lasting peace.
“President Erdogan noted that the continuation of the positive momentum achieved in the Istanbul talks to pave the way for peace will benefit everyone,” the message says.
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) will resume its flight Odesa – Istanbul (Turkey) – Odesa from March 29, 2021, the press service of the air carrier has reported.
In addition, UIA is also increasing the frequency of flights Kyiv – Istanbul – Kyiv to 21 flights a week.
The airline said that flights from Kyiv to Istanbul and back will be operated daily three times a day, and in some periods – four times a day.
Return flights on the Odesa – Istanbul – Odesa route will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Direct flights from Kyiv and Odesa to Istanbul are also operated by Turkish airlines and Ukraine’s SkyUp Airlines.
The Ukrainian airline SkyUp Airlines (Kyiv) will launch flights between Kyiv and Istanbul, Turkey, from September 25.
The company’s press service said on Thursday evening that Kyiv-Istanbul-Kyiv flights will be carried out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
One-way ticket without luggage will cost UAH 1,600.
According to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the following documents are required for trips to Turkey: foreign passport or Ukrainian ID card, medical insurance certificate that covers the cost of coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment in the territory of Turkey.
In addition, medical examination for COVID-19 will be carried out at the checkpoints. If the symptoms of the disease are detected, free PCR testing will be carried out.
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv has met with his colleague from Turkey Ruhsar Pekcan in Istanbul, where they discussed issues of enhancing trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. “Within the framework of Petro Poroshenko’s visit to Turkey, I’ve met with my Turkish counterpart, the Minister of Trade for Turkey. We are talking about strengthening trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey, especially when bilateral trade volumes are constantly growing,” Kubiv wrote on his Facebook page.
“There are also good prospects for cooperation in the digital economy, industry, energy, IT, aviation and many other spheres,” the Ukrainian official added.
