Türkiye strongly supports a cease-fire that would lead to a ‘just and lasting’ peace, the Turkish president stressed.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a meeting with NATO Secretary Mark Rutte and expressed his belief that the Alliance “should not be a part of the war in Ukraine.”

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Erdogan welcomed Rutte at the presidential palace in Ankara ahead of the upcoming meeting of foreign ministers from NATO countries, which will take place Wednesday and Thursday in Belek, on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast.

The Turkish leader told his guest that Türkiye strongly supports a cease-fire in Ukraine that would lead to a “just and lasting” peace. Erdogan also noted that he had recently held phone conversations with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Rutte called the meeting with Erdogan “excellent” and said they had discussed Ukraine, where “there is a real opportunity to make progress toward peace.” He also described Türkiye as a “strong and capable ally.”

Erdogan assured Rutte that his country places great importance on its participation in the Atlantic alliance, noting that in October, Türkiye will again assume command of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR). Türkiye will always do whatever it can to preserve the strength of the Atlantic alliance, he said.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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