Poland's Duda thanks Erdogan for Turkey's support of migrants

By Trend

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his intense diplomatic efforts for a cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday as he hosted his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, discussing the issue of migration, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.

In a joint press conference, the two presidents hailed bilateral ties as Duda conveyed his gratitude to Erdogan for "sharing all the knowledge" on hosting migrants.

"Turkey is a very important state in the region. It has been making a lot of contributions and it plays a great role for peace," said the Polish president after the two leaders' meeting.

The most "important topic" in their discussions was the Russia-Ukraine war, said Duda, extending "gratitude" to Erdo?an and saying: "I know how hard he tries to ensure that peace prevails."

He also called on international organizations to join efforts to establish peace in Ukraine.

There are many opportunities and a great capacity to advance bilateral relations between the two countries, Duda said. "We have reiterated one more time that we hope our trade volume will exceed the figure of $10 billion."

Stressing that Poland wants military cooperation between the two countries to continue as well as economic cooperation, Duda said, "Last year we started very good cooperation in the field of defense. I believe that we will continue to develop this cooperation."

For his part, Erdogan said: "As two NATO allies, we have exchanged views (on the Ukraine matter)."

He also said he would continue his contacts on the continuing war at the upcoming NATO leaders summit in Brussels on March 24.

"As Turkey, we continue our efforts to achieve a cease-fire. Indeed, my minister of foreign affairs (Mevlut Cavushoglu) is holding talks in Moscow today. He will go to Ukraine tomorrow."

Erdogan also announced that Turkey and Poland aim to establish a high-level strategic partnership council to further strengthen ties.