Poland thanks Turkiye for sharing knowledge on hosting migrants

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish president on Wednesday continued diplomatic efforts for a cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine war, hosting his Polish counterpart and addressing the issue of migration.

In a joint press conference, Turkiye's 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.

"Turkiye 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 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."

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

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

At least 726 civilians have been killed so far in Ukraine, and 1,174 have been injured, according to UN estimates. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warns that true casualty tolls are likely "considerably higher," particularly in territories that remain under Ukrainian government control.

More than 3 million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, according to the global body.