Erdogan wants to be 'peacemaker' between Ukraine and Russia: Aliev on Turkish President’s stance, actions

Public figure, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, journalist, human rights activist Alim Aliev commented on the stance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and noted that he is trying to be a mediator between Ukraine and Russia 

He shared the statement on the Espreso TV channel.

"Even after the elections, Erdogan continues trying to be not only the leader of the region, but also a 'peacemaker' or mediator between Ukraine and the Kremlin in order to build an image of an authoritative leader for himself," he said.

In particular, Aliev noted that Erdogan has several tracks - economic and political, and he often raises the topic of political prisoners, in particular Crimean political prisoners.

"Putin has not yet agreed to these exchanges. This is actually a phenomenon, but for Putin, Crimean Tatar political prisoners are seen as personal enemies, and therefore this process is at a dead end," the public figure said.

What is known about the work of "grain corridor"

On 17 July, Russia announced the termination of the grain deal. In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it was necessary to continue using the grain corridor even despite Russia's withdrawal from the agreement.

On August 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his intention to resume the grain deal with an “expanded scope” and called on Western countries to “fulfill their promises”.

On August 10, the Ukrainian Navy announced a temporary humanitarian corridor for merchant ships sailing to and from Ukrainian ports.

On August 16, the first vessel left the port of Odesa after Russia announced that it will terminate the grain deal on July 16, 2023.

On August 26, the second vessel left the port of Odesa after Russia announced the termination of the grain deal on July 16, 2023

On September 4, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed hope that an agreement on the Black Sea Grain Initiative would be reached in a short time.

On September 9, it became known that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was asking several G20 leaders to fulfil some of Russia's demands to resume the grain deal.