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Erdogan plans to discuss humanitarian corridor initiative with Putin, Zelensky

"The meetings between the ombudsmen of Russia and Ukraine can be called some of the main results of the conference. They went positively," Chief Turkish ombudsman Seref Malkoc noted

ANKARA, January 12. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to hold phone talks with his counterparts from Russia and Ukraine Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky to discuss the proposal to establish a humanitarian corridor, Seref Malkoc, the chief Turkish ombudsman, said on Thursday.

"The meetings between the ombudsmen of Russia and Ukraine can be called some of the main results of the conference. They went positively. We have proposed to our president to develop the grain corridor initiative. He has issued instructions to work in that direction. Our president plans to hold talks with Putin and Zelensky today or tomorrow," he said as he wrapped up the conference titled the Future of Human Rights in the 21st Century, CNN-Turk television reported.

"I put forward the initiative of opening a humanitarian corridor to follow up on the grain one. I proposed it to the president. He took it with pleasure," the Turkish ombudsman said.

Russian human rights commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova has met with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Lubinets and they both had a trilateral meeting with Malkoc on the sidelines of the conference. In comments on the initiative to establish a humanitarian corridor between Russia and Ukraine Moskalkova told reporters she expected clarifications on the issue from Turkey. She said no initiatives to exchange prisoners are possible unless they are approved by top leadership of the countries.