Orthodox Christians in Turkey's southern Antalya province gathered on Sunday and prayed for peace as military clashes between Ukraine and Russia entered the fourth day.
The prayers were held at a church under the Russian-speaking Orthodox Believers Association in the Alanya district, and Moscow Orthodox Priest Dmitri Bogatyr led the event.
"We invite all warring parties to peace. We do not want people to die," he said, adding that the two countries had deep historical relations and peace should prevail so that innocent people would not suffer.
Constantine Sorkin, a Russian citizen, said he was deeply upset with the ongoing war. "I hope that a peace treaty is signed as soon as possible ... We will be the same once there is peace. What matters is the unity and solidarity now," he said.
Meanwhile, Pope France called on everyone to pray for an end to war. In a tweet, he said: "I renew my invitation for everyone to take part on 2 March, Ash Wednesday, in a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace in Ukraine, in order to be near to the suffering Ukrainian people, to be aware that we are all brothers and sisters, and to implore God for an end to the war."
Turkey on Sunday officially recognized Russia's attacks on Ukraine as a "state of war" and said it was implementing an international treaty giving Ankara the power to limit warships' passage through the strategic Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits.
Ankara had called the Russian invasion a "military operation," but Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said: "It's no longer a military operation but a state of war."
"In this case, of course, whichever of them, it can be Russia or Ukraine, we apply the Montreux agreement," he added.
"In case of a war in which Turkey is not a party, Turkey can shut down the straits for countries that are involved in war. Article 19 of the Montreux Convention is explicit," he said.
Çavuşoğlu also underlined the exception highlighted in the convention, saying Turkey did not have a say in the return of warships of warring states back to their ports or naval bases in home countries.
Stressing that the process should be transparent, Çavuşoğlu said Russian vessels bound to the bases in the Black Sea were currently present in the Mediterranean.
"Of course, there should not be any exploitation here. I mean, (these vessels) should not be involved in the war ... We will implement all the provisions of Montreux in this way, in a transparent manner," he said.
Çavuşoğlu also welcomed the upcoming talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials and emphasized the need for a lasting cease-fire.
"This crisis must end. At least the first step should be taken with a cease-fire," he said.
"We are truly glad that they (Ukraine and Russia) have come to such an agreement. God willing, the negotiations for tomorrow will lead to a cease-fire."
The 1936 Montreux Convention governs the free movement of commercial ships in peacetime through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles straits and grants Turkey the right to block warships in wartime if threatened.
Ukraine has officially asked Turkey to close the Dardanelles strait – and thus access to the Black Sea – to Russian ships.
NATO member Turkey, which has strong ties with both Russia and Ukraine, did not immediately respond to this request.
But Çavuşoğlu said Turkey cannot prevent Russian and Ukrainian ships from accessing the Black Sea due to Article 19 of the convention that allows littoral states' vessels to return to their home base.
He said whether the ship is registered to the home base was clear and warned against any abuse.
"It should not be involved in the war after declaring it will return to the base and passing through the Bosphorus," the minister said.
Turkey has strong relations with both Russia and Ukraine and has offered to host talks between their leaders.
"We have repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution, but the war is a reality right now," Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun tweeted on Sunday.
Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said earlier on Sunday: "On the fourth day of the Ukraine war, we repeat President Erdoğan's call for an immediate halt of Russian attacks and the start of cease-fire negotiations."
Turkish senior officials also continued to conduct diplomacy traffic for a resolution to the crisis.
Çavuşoğlu spoke by phone Sunday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the latest developments in Ukraine, which has been the target of Russian military intervention.
The main topics of the conversation were a possible cease-fire and the humanitarian situation, including the evacuation of civilians, according to a briefing by the Foreign Ministry.
Sunday was a busy day for Çavuşoğlu as he spoke to several counterparts by phone, including Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba. Details on the conversation were not disclosed, however.
The Turkish diplomat also held talks on Ukraine with Estonia's Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets along with Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra and Helga Schmid, the secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
In addition, he discussed the humanitarian issue and efforts to ensure a cease-fire in Ukraine during a conversation with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine last Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine. He claimed that Moscow had no plans to occupy its neighbor but wanted to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.
Putin has also ordered his defense chiefs to put "deterrence forces" on high alert, saying major NATO countries have made "aggressive statements" about Russia.
At least 368,000 Ukrainians have since fled the country, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.
In response, Western powers imposed financial sanctions on Moscow and decided to supply Ukraine with weapons and ammunition. The European Union has also decided to close its airspace to Russian airlines and ban Russian state media.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian and Russian officials will meet for talks at a venue on the Belarusian border with Ukraine.
