ISTANBUL, November 19. /TASS/. Turkey is in favor of continuing the direct talks on the Ukrainian settlement in Istanbul, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said after a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky in Ankara.
"We count on the continuation of the Istanbul negotiations based on a pragmatic and result-oriented approach. We see them as an important basis for a peaceful resolution [of the conflict]," Erdogan said.
Ankara expects all of its partners, who are equally committed to stopping the bloodshed in the region, to show a constructive approach in order to promote the peace process in Istanbul.
The first round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine was held in Istanbul on May 16, where the sides agreed on exchanging prisoners on the "1,000 for 1,000" formula and submitting memorandums on the aspects of overcoming the crisis.
The second round of resumed direct negotiations was also held in Istanbul on June 2. Following it, the sides exchanged peace terms as well as agreed on exchanging severely injured prisoners of war and the bodies of deceased servicemen. Moscow also handed over to Kiev several thousand bodies of fallen soldiers.
A third round of direct Russia-Ukraine talks on the Ukrainian settlement took place in Istanbul on July 23. Before a collective meeting, delegation heads Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky and Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, held a one-on-one conversation. The collective meeting lasted about 40 minutes during which the sides discussed the positions outlined in draft memorandums.