Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed Türkiye’s foreign policy, relations with the European Union and cooperation with Russia in an interview with Russian state television broadcaster VGTRK.
Lavrov said Türkiye wants both to maintain an important position within NATO and to improve its relations with the European Union, then made a notable assessment of Ankara’s EU membership prospects.
Lavrov argued that Türkiye “knows somewhere deep down that it will never truly be admitted to the European Union.”
The Russian minister’s remarks stood out as Moscow’s assessment of Türkiye’s relations with the West, while Türkiye officially remains a candidate country for European Union membership.
“Türkiye wants to maintain good relations with Russia”
Lavrov also said Türkiye wants to preserve its relations with Russia, drawing attention to the economic ties between the two countries.
Lavrov said Türkiye and Russia have numerous joint economic projects and that the histories of the two countries also share many common points.
Energy, trade, tourism and regional issues are among the main areas of Ankara-Moscow relations.
Although Türkiye and Russia have different positions on some international issues, including the war in Ukraine, they continue their diplomatic contacts and economic relations.
Security in the Black Sea remains on the agenda
Another important topic in Lavrov’s remarks was the latest developments in the Black Sea.
The Russian foreign minister said Türkiye has a significant interest in preserving stability in the Black Sea.
The effects of the war between Russia and Ukraine on commercial and civilian maritime traffic in the Black Sea have recently come back into focus.
The increase in attacks targeting ships and port infrastructure has raised concerns in Black Sea countries, including Türkiye, over the safety of maritime transport.
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also called for a moratorium to ensure that Russia and Ukraine stop attacks targeting ships in the Black Sea.
Türkiye stresses that the attacks affect not only the parties to the war but also international trade and the interests of third countries.
Lavrov: The Turkish side is calling for a renewed agreement
Lavrov said Turkish officials had again raised the need for an arrangement to prevent maritime transport in the Black Sea from becoming a target of attacks.
However, arguing that Russia was not the party that initiated the attacks, Lavrov placed responsibility for the current security problems in the Black Sea on Ukraine.
Moscow had previously accused Ukraine of attacking Russian ports and ships in the Black Sea.
Ukraine, meanwhile, argues that it has carried out operations against targets linked to Russia’s war capacity in response to Russian attacks on its ports, infrastructure and maritime transport.
Türkiye calls for the attacks to stop
Ankara has stepped up its diplomatic initiatives in recent days to reduce rising tensions in the Black Sea.
Türkiye wants an arrangement between Russia and Ukraine to ensure a mutual halt to attacks, particularly those targeting commercial and civilian vessels.
Turkish officials said that despite the recent attacks, commercial vessels continue to pass into the Black Sea through the Istanbul and Çanakkale straits and that navigation remains uninterrupted.
Türkiye is also continuing to implement the Montreux Convention Regarding the Straits.
Intensive diplomacy between Ankara and Moscow
Diplomatic contacts between Türkiye and Russia have continued in recent months.
During talks held by Hakan Fidan and Sergey Lavrov in Moscow in June, the two sides discussed a range of issues, particularly the war in Ukraine, navigational safety in the Black Sea, energy and trade.
At those talks, Fidan emphasized that Türkiye’s priority was for Russia and Ukraine to return to the negotiating table, and conveyed Türkiye’s concern to the Russian side that attacks in the Black Sea were threatening the interests of third countries and maritime transport.
Lavrov’s latest remarks once again showed that Moscow is closely following Türkiye’s foreign policy line, which maintains relations with the West while preserving economic and diplomatic ties with Russia.
