Türkiye, Poland discuss Ukraine crisis, vow to continue ceasefire efforts

The Turkish president has continued diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, hosting his Polish counterpart and addressing the issue of migration.

In a joint press conference on Wednesday, Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Poland's Andrzej Duda hailed bilateral ties as Duda conveyed his gratitude to Erdogan for "sharing all the knowledge" on hosting migrants.

"Türkiye 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 Erdogan and saying: "I know how hard he tries to ensure that peace prevails."

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

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

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

"As Türkiye, we continue our efforts to achieve a ceasefire. Indeed, the minister of foreign affairs (Mevlut Cavusoglu) is holding talks in Moscow today. He will go to Ukraine tomorrow."

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Poland needs help from international community

Duda said the number of refugees entering Poland from Ukraine has reached two million and about 100,000 people crossing the border every day. 

"Today we can talk about the refugee crisis in Poland," he added.

Duda also stressed that Poland could be in a very difficult situation if it does not receive help from the international community.

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

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," he added.

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