Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky that measures must be taken to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Erdogan and Zelensky met at the Turkish House in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
"Our president noted that measures must be taken to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea. Attacks on merchant ships must not be allowed. We expect the parties to act responsibly," the Turkish presidential administration said in a statement.
Erdogan also said Turkey is ready to continue its efforts aimed at a peaceful end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
"The Turkish president said Ankara will continue work to resume direct negotiations between the parties," the statement said.
In 2026, several Turkish ships in the Black Sea were attacked by the Ukrainian armed forces. Turkish citizens were affected and one person died. After that, Ankara called for ensuring the safety of merchant ships and summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.