“Had political and security consultations with #Turkey today in the #Quadriga format. Express gratitude for the dialogue to our partners @MevlutCavusoglu, Mr. Hulusi Akar. Negotiations in this format prove a particular nature of the Ukraine-Turkey strategic partnership,” Shmyhal tweeted.

Had political and security consultations with #Turkey today in the #Quadriga format. Express gratitude for the dialogue to our partners @MevlutCavusoglu, Mr. Hulusi Akar. Negotiations in this format prove a particular nature of the strategic partnership. pic.twitter.com/nRzest4pmb

— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) December 18, 2020

The parties discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, international policy and cooperation in the field of defense and security. The meeting, which took place on December 18, was also attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister for Strategic Industries Oleh Uruskyy, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andrii Taran, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine Ihor Petrashko and other top officials.

The Prime Minister welcomed the holding of political and security consultations at the level of the heads of the foreign and defense ministries of Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey in the “Quadriga” format. According to him, this proves “a particular nature of the partnership between the two countries.”

The Prime Minister also stressed that the Republic of Turkey is a reliable partner of Ukraine and plays an important role in maintaining stability and security in the Black Sea region.

“Among the priorities of Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation should be the security situation in the Black Sea region. After all, stability and security are the key to the successful development of business contacts and international trade in general,” said Denys Shmyhal.

The Prime Minister expressed hope that the issue of deoccupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Donbas would remain in the focus of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey. He also thanked the Republic of Turkey for its readiness to cooperate within the Crimean platform framework.

During the meeting, Denys Shmyhal stressed that one of the most important issues on the agenda of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Turkey is the completion of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement. According to him, as a result of the visit to Turkey, commissions were given to the relevant ministries and departments of Ukraine, which should take additional measures to complete the negotiations as soon as possible.

“I believe that increasing the annual trade turnover between our countries to at least $ 10 billion is a good goal for expanding our economic cooperation,” the Prime Minister said.

Moreover, the Prime Minister confirmed the invariability of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic course and thanked the Republic of Turkey for supporting NATO's decision to involve Ukraine in the Enhanced Opportunities Partnership program.

The Head of Government expressed gratitude to the Republic of Turkey for its continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. (ILKHA)