Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday visits Turkey to discuss reviving dormant Russia-Ukraine peace talks and ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea.
Lavrov will attend part of the annual diplomatic forum in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya where he is to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The Russia-Ukraine war will be a key talking point at the forum that runs from Friday to Sunday, though Russia’s top diplomat is to leave again Saturday.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ankara has carefully maintained ties with both sides.
“Turkey, along with Hungary, remains one of the last countries in the (NATO) Atlantic Alliance to maintain dialogue with Moscow,” said Sinan Ulgen, director of the Istanbul-based Edam think tank.
“In a geopolitical context modified by the war, Turkey is careful to keep this role for the future, hoping to capitalize on it during possible peace talks,” he added.
Erdogan said Wednesday that Turkey wants to revive a 2022 peace effort when top negotiators from the rivals met in Istanbul.
“We are ready to re-establish the negotiating table to build peace like we did in Istanbul previously,” Erdogan said in a video message played at a summit of southeast European leaders in Tirana this week. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was present.
