21 November 2016, Monday, 20:05 73

Turkish President Erdogan Promises To Prevent Turkish Ships From Entering Sevastopol Ports

Редактор: Daria Zubkova

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to prevent Turkish ships from entering ports in Sevastopol (Russia-annexed Crimea).

The press service of the Ukrainian parliament announced this in a statement after a meeting between Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy and Erdogan, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"Parubiy said that the interlocutors touched upon the issue of 'Turkish ships' informal calls at Sevastopol ports,' in the context of which the president of Turkey pointed out that 'even if this happened informally, he will issue all the necessary instructions to ensure that this cannot happen in any format,'" the statement said.

According to Parubiy, he and Erdogan also discussed a number of issues relating to economic cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey and a free trade zone between the two countries.

"It was very important to discuss the issue of cooperation in the military-defense complex, where we have started a number of programs, and discussed the gradual nature of their implementation, since cooperation in the military-defense complex is beneficial to both Ukraine and Turkey," the statement said.

Erdogan fully supported Ukraine's position that it is important to maintain the blockade of Crimea, including its sea blockade, and avoid any contact with the peninsula.

According to the Ukrainian parliament speaker, Erdogan showed his support - including material support - for the Crimean Tatars that have been forced to leave Crimea as a result of Russian aggression.

Parubiy invited Erdogan to visit Ukraine in the first half of 2017.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, President Petro Poroshenko and Erdogan have agreed to intensify the negotiations on introduction of a free trade zone between Ukraine and Turkey.