The relationship between Ukraine and Turkey is “at its best,” Ukraine’s foreign minister said Friday.
“We are satisfied with the level of understanding between our countries, between our leaders, and with the volume of projects, both our countries are engaging,” Dmytro Kuleba said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency. “In my view, you know, good relations between Ukraine and Turkey is good, not only for our bilateral cooperation but also for the region as a whole,” according to Kuleba.
“RELATIONS BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES GOOD FOR REGION”
He said, Ukraine will continue to invest in this relationship and is happy to see that Turkey shares the same intention. The Ukrainian diplomat said his country enjoys excellent cooperation with Turkey in Akinci projects, Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV).
“This is the project where trust and production mechanisms are being literally built between Ukraine and Turkey. If we succeed on Akinci project, and we seem to be succeeding, it means that we can engage into more ambitious projects into projects or for larger scale which will have a greater impact on world markets,” he said, adding that the Antonov cargo plane project is also on the agenda.
“There is a high demand for cargo planes in the world. And there are some countries that are interested in working with Antonov in developing mutual projects. We keep this on the table and we will be discussing this project or this program, it is bigger than a project, with our Turkish colleagues.”
“This will be the first meeting of the Quadriga format. Quadriga is when ministers of foreign affairs and defense from one country simultaneously meet with ministers of defense and foreign affairs from another country. We have established this format during the last visit of [Ukrainian] President [Vladimir] Zelensky. He agreed with [Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan,” he said.
This format demonstrates “the uniqueness of our partnership and the depth of our engagement with Turkey.”