Turkiye Ambassador to the UN calls for peace talks

Turkish Ambassador to the United Nations, Ahmet Yıldız, called this week for global efforts to prevent the Ukraine conflict from escalating further, thereby destroying global peace, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The nature of the Ukraine conflict remains unsustainable for all parties involved,” Yıldız told a UN Security Council session on Ukraine.

He highlighted the mounting toll of the war, which has inflicted “profound suffering on millions in Ukraine and beyond”.

He added that issues such as food and energy security, maritime safety in the Black Sea and prisoner exchanges could serve as starting points for peace talks.

“Turkiye is prepared to play a facilitating role again when the sides are ready. The time has come to identify common ground and establish the most needed peace in Ukraine,’ he said.

The Russian war on Ukraine started in February 2022 and the London-based Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) charity reported that 7,001 people had been killed in Ukraine as of 23 September, with more than 20,000 civilians injured.

Turkiye has been taken a proactive role in mediating the conflict, including its efforts in brokering the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which facilitated the export of Ukrainian grain to global markets despite the war.

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