Ankara (Times Of Ocean) – The Turkish government has closed its airspace to flights to Syria by the Russian military and civilian aircraft, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu informed on Saturday.
“We gave permission in three-month intervals. According to the minister, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan informed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of this decision in an interview with the press during his flight to Latin America. “Planes have stopped since then,” Çavuşoğlu said, adding that the process is being conducted through a dialogue on both the Montreux Convention and other topics.
Minister Çavuşoğlu said Turkey is not participating in sanctions against Russian oligarchs. “If a company wants to do business in Turkey, they must comply with our and international laws,” he added.
“We see there is a draft joint declaration in this process. The focus is on impartiality, security and guarantees,” he said, adding that the final decision lies with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin.
Turkey is one of the leading countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced role as a mediator by keeping communication channels open with both warring sides offers a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. Having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has won widespread praise for its efforts to bring an end to the war.
While Ankara opposes international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it has closed its straits to prevent Russian vessels from passing through them. Since the conflict began, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks.