The regime that has conducted and is still conducting wars in Iraq, Libya, Syria and the Caucasus. Erdoğan is transparently angling for the Nobel Peace Prize (with also-ran Emanuel Macron).

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Hurriyet Daily News
March 29, 2022

Turkey says meaningful progress in Russia-Ukraine talks achieved in Istanbul

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that the most meaningful progress in Russia-Ukraine negotiations was achieved in Istanbul since the teams of the two countries have launched peace talks.

“Today, we are pleased to see that the rapprochement between the parties has increased at every stage. Consensus and common understanding were reached on some issues,” Çavuşoğlu told reporters after the Russian-Ukrainian delegations met in Istanbul on March 29.

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“Today’s talks are an indicator of trust to us. We are aware of the trust placed in us and our responsibility,” Çavuşoğlu stated.

The minister noted that the Turkish side also held separate meetings with the Ukrainian and Russian delegations and discussed the issues of humanitarian aid and humanitarian corridors.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged the Ukrainian and Russian negotiation teams for a peace agreement to “put an end to the tragedy” sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the delegations held face-to-face talks in Istanbul on March 29.

“Ensuring a ceasefire and peace as soon as possible would benefit all parties. We think we have entered a period when concrete results should be achieved at the talks. Given the current progress, you as members of delegations have undertaken a historic responsibility,” Erdoğan said in his speech at the opening of the meeting of the delegations at the Presidential Dolmabahçe office.

“The entire world is awaiting beneficial and good news from you. You are laying the foundation for peace in line with the directives of your leaders. We stand ready for all kinds of contributions that will facilitate your work,” he added.

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Interfax
March 29, 2022

Kremlin confirms Abramovich’s unofficial involvement in Russian-Ukrainian talks

MOSCOW: Businessman Roman Abramovich is taking part in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations at the approval of both parties, although he is not an official member of the Russian delegation, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

“Abramovich has been engaged in ensuring certain contacts between the Russian and the Ukrainian side. He is not an official delegation member. Our delegation is led by presidential aide [Vladimir] Medinsky. Nevertheless, he [Abramovich] is also present on our side in Istanbul,” Peskov told journalists on Tuesday, referring to the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations currently ongoing in Istanbul.

Abramovich’s participation in the talks has been endorsed by both sides, he said.

Peskov insisted also that reports alleging that Abramovich had been poisoned during one of the previous rounds of the talks, which were made on the eve of the Istanbul round of the Russian-Ukrainian talks, were untrue and were an element of information warfare.

“This is an element of an information campaign, an element of information sabotage, and an element of information warfare. The reports are certainly untrue,” Peskov said, adding that there have been statements about this from Abramovich’s representatives.

“Actually, you can see all of them, the delegation members, shown on television in Istanbul. This is an element of information warfare, and this is precisely how this should be treated. Currents of information should simply be filtered very thoroughly,” he said.