Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answered journalists' questions at the train station in Przemyśl, Poland, before his departure for Ukraine. Emphasizing that Türkiye is actively working to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Fidan said his train journey to Kyiv would take about 10 hours, and that travel to and from Ukraine is done by rail because the airspace is closed.
Recalling that he visited Moscow last month, Fidan said he conveyed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's messages. He stated that during meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, they learned Moscow's position on Ukraine.
Fidan also touched on US President Donald Trump's visit to Türkiye and the NATO summit held in Ankara. Reminding that he represented President Erdoğan at the 'Coalition of the Willing' leaders' summit on Ukraine in Paris, Fidan noted that the Ukraine crisis remains at the center of the international agenda and that regular exchanges of views continue.
Pointing out that there are two different approaches to this issue in Europe, Fidan said:
There are two separate directions: how to support military efforts and how to stop the war. Türkiye is more focused on how to end the war.
Stating that he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha during his Kyiv visit, and also convey President Erdoğan's messages, Fidan emphasized Ankara's mediation efforts in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Recalling that they hosted negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul last year, Fidan said Türkiye has previously undertaken various mediation initiatives and facilitated contacts between the parties. Also touching on the grain deal that ensures navigation safety in the Black Sea, Fidan said, 'Today's efforts are based on all this accumulated experience. I believe my visit will make a positive contribution.'
FETÖ assessment
Fidan also touched on the 10th anniversary of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. Stating that FETÖ continues its destructive activities against the state 'despite its expiration date having passed,' Fidan said the organization cooperates with international power centers.
FETÖ is an organization whose expiration date has passed. Despite this, it continues its struggle against the state and the people's elected officials. Moreover, it cooperates with dirty international power centers. This is absolutely shameful.
Emphasizing that after July 15, the state and the nation effectively entered a new struggle for liberation, Fidan said, 'It was a period when we dealt a serious blow to terrorist networks at home and abroad, especially FETÖ. We witnessed the state, cleansed of FETÖ, rapidly returning to its founding principles and beginning to fulfill its duty of serving the people.'
Stating that the determined will of the Turkish people under President Erdoğan's leadership played a key role in cleansing the state system of FETÖ, Fidan said that thanks to the measures taken and transformations carried out, similar structures will not be allowed to infiltrate the system again. He added that Ankara is making intense efforts to end FETÖ's illegal, espionage and destructive activities against Türkiye in the countries where it operates.
