We continue our efforts to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said at a briefing within the Anatolian-Eagle 2023 military exercise in the central Konya province.

The minister recalled that from the first day of the war between the two countries, Türkiye pursued a balanced policy: "There is no question of taking sides. What is important for us is stability in the region.”

According to Akar, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in contact with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the first day of the war: "We provide humanitarian support to Ukraine. We are ready to do our part again. We have done our best to evacuate people and exchange prisoners.”

Recalling that the grain deal was signed with the mediation of Türkiye, the minister said that they want to extend the term of this agreement. He also said that so far more than 30 million tons of grain have been exported from the Russian and Ukrainian ports.

www.anews.az