Ukrainian Crisis
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday that he had discussed the situation in Ukraine, as well as regional issues, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"We held one-on-one talks, then the delegations met ... Certainly, Ukraine was one of the topics discussed at our meetings, and we also discussed a number of regional problems," Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference.
Cavusoglu also noted that Ankara is concerned about the possible escalation of the situation in Ukraine in the spring.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told news outlets of Germany's Funke Mediengruppe media group that there could be a possible counteroffensive by Ukraine in the coming weeks.
"We share the concern about the possible escalation in Ukraine in the spring months. We have always said — there will be no winner in this war. We believe that the war will end with negotiations, so we continue to make efforts. We will continue our objective and balanced policy," Cavusoglu said at a press conference after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Lavrov in turn said that negotiations on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine can only take place with taking into account Russia's legitimate interests and concerns.
"Both the president and other Russian officials have repeatedly said that we do not refuse to negotiate, but these negotiations can only be on the basis that we have outlined, on the basis of taking into account Russia's interests, legitimate interests, Russia's legitimate concerns," Lavrov said at the press conference.
The minister recalled that Russia's concerns are ignored by Western countries.
At the same time Russia is always ready to consider any serious proposals for negotiations with the United States, the top diplomat highlighted.
"As for the proposal to meet with Blinken in New York, well, he [Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia] did not just say that out of the blue. They began to ask him... 'will Lavrov meet with Blinken or not?' Well, he said that if such a request appears, we will consider it. We regularly say in such situations that we never refuse serious proposals for dialogue," Lavrov told reporters.
On Monday, Nebenzia said that Lavrov is open to meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York if the latter requests it.
Gas Hub in Turkiye
Russian Foreign Minister said that he had discussed the construction of a gas hub in Turkiye and the work of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) with his Turkish counterpart
"We discussed in detail the implementation of bilateral strategic projects in the energy sector, which are traditionally the locomotive in our relations, first of all, we are talking about the Akkuyu NPP, the first on Turkish soil," Lavrov told journalists after the talks, adding that they also discusses "the work on the creation in Turkiye of a gas hub for the transportation of Russian hydrocarbons."
Black Sea Grain Initiative
It is necessary to lift all obstacles to the supply of Russian grain and fertilizers to world markets, Cavusoglu said during the press conference.
"We are in solidarity that it is necessary to remove obstacles to the supply of Russian fertilizers, [grain]," Cavusoglu said.
Lavrov in turn highlighted that Russia will think about the necessity of the grain deal if there is no progress on the fulfillment of the Russian part of the deal.
"We offered to extend this deal only for 60 days, based on the fact that if there are no further shifts in removing obstacles to the export of Russian fertilizers and grain, then we will rethink about whether this deal is actually necessary," Lavrov told journalists after talks with Cavusoglu.
Ankara-Yerevan Relations
Another issue discussed by foreign ministers was the normalization of ties between Ankara and Yerevan and the conclusion of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"We also discussed the normalization of Ankara's relations with Yerevan, as well as the situation in Transcaucasia. We hope that a comprehensive peace agreement will be concluded between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which will contribute to stability in the region," the Turkish minister said.
The top diplomats also discussed the situation in Libya, stressing the importance of uniting disparate groups into a single security force.
Peace Process Between Israel and Palestine
Lavrov and Cavusoglu also discussed the settlement process between Palestine and Israel. Russian Foreign Minister believes that it has been pushed far back due to a number of events. Lavrov stressed that Moscow stands for direct dialogue between the parties.
"As for the settlement of relations between Palestine and Israel, unfortunately, the process has been pushed far back as a result of many events, clashes, unilateral measures taken by both Palestinians and Israelis, and which have now resulted in serious clashes, fraught with further aggravation of the situation," Lavrov said.
Moscow believes that there is a need to return to the fundamental decisions of the UN, on which there should be direct dialogue between Palestine and Israel in the format of a two-state solution, Lavrov added.
Syrian Settlement
The two diplomats also discussed the situation in Syria and the preparation of the ministerial meeting of Turkiye, Russia, Iran and Syria with Lavrov.
"We have discussed the situation in Syria. We thank Mr. Lavrov and the Russian Foreign Ministry for preparing and holding a meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Turkiye, Iran and Syria in Moscow on April 4," Cavusoglu said.
Ankara hopes that the Syrian settlement process will continue in the same transparent and open form as before, the minister said.
"We have discussed the situation in Syria. We thank Mr. Lavrov and the Russian Foreign Ministry for preparing and holding a meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Turkiye, Iran and Syria in Moscow on April 4," Cavusoglu said.
Ankara hopes that the Syrian settlement process will continue in the same transparent and open form as before, the minister said.
The last time Lavrov and Cavusoglu met in person was on the margins of the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi in March. The two ministers have held two phone calls since then, with the latest conversation having taken place on March 15.
In March, Russia and Turkiye agreed another two-year extension of the bilateral platform of consultations on the level of foreign ministries.