Ömer Çelik, deputy chairman and spokesperson of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), called for the establishment of a negotiating table in Istanbul for the Russia-Ukraine war after a meeting of the party's Central Decision and Management Board at the party headquarters, chaired by President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Çelik said the war had turned into a prolonged war of attrition. He said the possibility of the conflict spreading to a wider region, discussions within the framework of NATO and the European Union, and the prospect of more advanced weapons being used posed serious risks.
Describing the targeting of civilian Turkish ships in the Black Sea as unacceptable, Çelik said eight Turkish-operated vessels originating from Russia and 35 originating from Ukraine had been targeted. He said warnings on the issue were continuing and that developments in the Black Sea were being monitored at the highest level.
Çelik stressed that a negotiating table should be established in Istanbul and a concrete result reached to end the vicious cycle created by the war.