(ANKARA) - Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who will pay a two-day official visit to Ukraine, is expected to discuss peace initiatives, bilateral relations and Black Sea security with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and senior officials. Before the visit, the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries was approved by the Ukrainian Parliament.
According to information obtained from Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources, Minister Hakan Fidan will pay a two-day official visit to Ukraine. Fidan is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha, as well as Presidential Office Head Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rüstem Umerov, Crimean Tatars' National Leader and Ukrainian Deputy Mustafa Abdülcemil Kırımoğlu, and Crimean Tatar National Assembly President Refat Chubarov.
It is expected that steps to further develop the strategic partnership between Türkiye and Ukraine in various fields, especially economy, energy and defense, will be discussed during the talks. Minister Fidan is also expected to reiterate Türkiye's support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, emphasize the importance of continuing diplomatic efforts for a just and lasting peace, and give the message that Ankara is ready to bring Russia and Ukraine together around the negotiation table again.
Fidan is expected to underline that the war should not spread to the Black Sea during the talks, and to draw attention to the importance of reducing the increasing tension in the Black Sea and ensuring navigation security. In this context, it is planned to state that targeting ports, ships and civilian maritime vessels, including fishing boats, is unacceptable under any circumstances, and to emphasize that Türkiye resolutely continues its diplomatic initiatives to preserve the Black Sea as a basin of peace, stability and cooperation.
According to diplomatic sources, Fidan is also expected to express that Turkish companies can contribute to the reconstruction process of the country with their investments and projects in Ukraine, to reiterate Türkiye's stance that it does not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea, and to point out the importance of additional steps to strengthen the rights of Crimean Tatars.
Before the visit, an important situation occurred in terms of Türkiye-Ukraine economic relations. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between Türkiye and Ukraine on February 3, 2022 was approved by the Ukrainian Parliament on July 14. The agreement is expected to enter into force after President Zelenskiy's signature.
The FTA, which has been in the approval process for four years, is expected to contribute to Turkish exporters achieving similar competitive conditions with European Union countries in the Ukrainian market and to support the trade volume between the two countries to reach the target of 10 billion dollars. Bilateral trade volume between Türkiye and Ukraine amounted to 6.2 billion dollars in 2024 and 6.6 billion dollars in 2025.