Turkey has made its preparations and is ready for the planned Mariupol evacuation of both Turkish and other civilians, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday, indicating that Ankara is in contact with the warring sides on the issue.
“We are in constant contact with the defense ministries of Russia and Ukraine. As Turkey, we have done and continue to do what is necessary to carry out the evacuations there in a safe manner. In this regard, we expect positive outcomes in the upcoming days,” Akar told journalists following the Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.
Saying that the humanitarian situation in the city has worsened, Akar said: “We have made all kinds of preparations to evacuate all civilians, including Turks.”
“There is a dual situation, part of the city is under Russian control and part under Ukrainian control. As a result, we are striving to achieve what has to be done in humanitarian terms.”
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Turkey proposed a plan to help evacuate wounded people from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Turkey had previously stated it is ready to provide ships for the evacuation of civilians and those wounded in Mariupol.
Turkey has been one of the countries leading efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has impacted millions of civilians. Turkey says it can facilitate peace talks between Ukraine and Russia but says that a cease-fire and humanitarian corridors are needed first.
As part of its efforts for peace, Turkey hosted the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Antalya earlier this month. Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine met in the Turkish resort town of Antalya for talks, which Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also attended. The talks were largely inconclusive, but Ankara considers the fact that they took place at all a success.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Having called Russia’s invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close energy, defense and tourism ties.
While forging close ties with Russia in a number of areas and relying heavily on Russian tourists, Turkey has sold drones to Ukraine, much to the dismay of Moscow. Turkey also opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as Moscow's annexation of Crimea. Erdoğan has repeatedly said Turkey will not abandon its relations with Russia or Ukraine, underlining that Ankara's ability to speak to both sides is an asset.
Ankara has frequently called for Zelenskyy and Putin to come together, but the two countries have sent mixed signals.
Addressing the issue of stray naval mines, Akar said Turkey is very capable of handling the danger. “We increased the patrols of our mine-hunting vessels, maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters, drones and the elite Underwater Defense (SAS) teams.”
He said developments are followed closely. “In the case of any detection, our units do what is necessary as quickly as possible.”
Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of laying mines in the Black Sea, and in late March, Turkish and Romanian military diving teams defused stray mines in their waters.
Russia's main intelligence agency said that several mines had drifted out to sea after breaking off from cables near Ukrainian ports, a claim dismissed by Kyiv as disinformation and an attempt to close off parts of the sea.
The Black Sea is a major shipping artery for grain, oil and oil products. It is connected to the Marmara and then the Mediterranean Sea via the Bosporus, which runs through the heart of Istanbul – Turkey's largest city with 16 million residents – and then the Dardanelles further southwest.
Akar reiterated that so far three mines have been defused in the Bosporus and that Turkey continues to be on alert. He added that there is no concrete information on how the mines reached the Bosporus at that speed.
“Each notice is taken into account attentively. The mines, after being identified, are taken into a safe area and defused without harming the environment,” he elaborated.
Akar further underlined that there is currently no problem with naval traffic.
