ANKARA, August 13. /TASS/. Turkey continues to discuss the return of its ships stranded in the ports of Ukraine with Moscow and Kiev, but no guarantees have been secured at this point, Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler said in an interview to the A Haber television.
"We have 12 commercial ships and one damaged shipboard crane in Ukrainian ports. Six of them are moored in Ukraine-controlled ports of Nikolayev and Olvia. We plan to return them at the first stage. We are negotiating with both sides [Russia and Ukraine]. They have been positive about the issue, but there have been no guarantees so far," the minister said.
Guler added that several Turkish ships stranded in Kherson experienced certain problems after the collapse of the Kakhovka dam in June.
"When the Kakhovka dam was destroyed by an explosion, trees and other debris were brought in by floodwater and filled the port where our vessels were moored. Now, the port requires a major cleanup. We are waiting for a convenient time to bring our ships back home," he said.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced on May 17 that Russia had guaranteed safe and unimpeded passage of Turkish ships from the Ukrainian-controlled ports of Nikolayev and Olvia. Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Nikolay Solsky said Turkish ships will have an opportunity to leave these ports, but the ports themselves will not resume their work.