ANKARA, September 26. /TASS/. Ankara expects to take part in a peace conference initiated by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
"We said that we’re ready to take part in such a conference. Our Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and our intelligence will maintain contact with them (the Ukrainian authorities - TASS) on the issue. Hopefully, our country will be part of the process to bring peace to the region. Perhaps, we are the ones that want a just peace in the Russia-Ukraine war more than anyone else. We have never hesitated to assume responsibility as we seek peace. This war can be ended through diplomacy and dialogue. Let the opposing parties and other players believe that we can do it," Erdogan told reporters upon return from the UN General Assembly in New York, according to the Anadolu news agency.
Still, the Turkish president stressed that "at this point, the parties aren’t close" to a peaceful solution. "We believe the advantage is that we are capable of meeting with both Ukraine and Russia. If we succeed in traveling along this difficult path and achieving the goal, we will do a great favor to humanity. However, hope for peace will not emerge until the parties stop provocations and an arms race and end a situation where arms speak, not people. Meanwhile, we will continue to try even harder to search for this hope," Erdogan added.