Istanbul emerging as key venue for Russia-Ukraine talks, Shoigu says

Istanbul is becoming the primary platform for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu stated during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Okay Memiş in Moscow.

"The Istanbul platform is becoming the main platform for negotiations in all areas concerning the Black Sea, the Black Sea deal, the grain deal, and now the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations," Shoigu said, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

He expressed gratitude to the Turkish leadership for facilitating the venue and ensuring the necessary security measures for the talks.

"We know that Ankara made considerable efforts, including in terms of security, to create optimal conditions for the work of the delegations," he noted.

Shoigu also thanked Memiş for participating in the international meeting of high representatives in charge of security issues, adding that it marked Memiş's first official visit to Moscow.

Highlighting the broader scope of bilateral ties, Shoigu underlined the growing cooperation between Russia and Türkiye across various domains.

"The Russian-Turkish political dialogue is actively developing in all areas," he said. "We are linked with Ankara by the successful implementation of major joint projects in trade, economic and energy spheres."

Shoigu attributed the success of bilateral cooperation to the frequent and open communication between the two countries' presidents.

"The effectiveness of bilateral cooperation is largely due to the intensity of the trusting dialogue between the leaders of the two countries, presidents Putin and Erdogan regularly communicate by phone," he said, adding that the most recent detailed conversation between the two leaders took place on May 11.

By Sabina Mammadli