Turkiye’s national defense minister stressed the importance of a safe evacuation of people, particularly in Mariupol, Ukraine, in a phone discussion with his Ukrainian colleague on Friday.
According to a statement released by the Turkish National Defense Ministry, Hulusi Akar spoke with Oleksii Reznikov about the importance of reaching a cease-fire to aid efforts for a diplomatic solution in Ukraine, as well as the “urgency of the safe evacuation of civilians, especially in Mariupol, from the land or sea.”
According to the statement, Akar emphasized that Turkiye will continue to contribute to humanitarian help to Ukraine.
On Thursday, he spoke with his Russian counterpart and emphasized the importance of a secure evacuation of civilians.
Turkiye has been making efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24 and has drawn international outrage and severe sanctions on Moscow.