Turkish mosque in Mariupol, Ukraine not damaged: Turkiye's foreign minister

By Merve Aydogan and Rabia Iclal Turan

ANTALYA, Turkiye (AA) - Turkiye's foreign minister confirmed on Sunday that a Turkish mosque in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol remains intact after reports of a rocket landing 700 meters (2,300 feet) from the building.

In a news conference concluding the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkiye, Mevlut Cavusoglu said the "pulse of diplomacy" had beaten at the event over the past four days, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had held 11 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the forum, while Cavusoglu himself held 67.

He added: "600 members of press from 27 countries attended the second edition of forum."

Citing President Erdogan's opening remarks on Friday, Cavusoglu said the forum focused on "how to better utilize diplomacy with aims to eliminate global inequalities."

He also noted that Turkiye welcomes talks held at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum contributing to diplomacy and dialogue.

Cavusoglu further informed that at least 14,480 Turkish citizens were evacuated from Ukraine since the start of war on Feb. 24.

The Turkish foreign minister stressed the need for a humanitarian cease-fire and corridor, including in the city of Mariupol, noting that the issue was discussed at a trilateral meeting with Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in Antalya on Wednesday.

Commenting on talks with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, Cavusoglu said the Armenian minister voiced Yerevan's willingness to launch peace talks with Azerbaijan.

On relations with Afghanistan, Cavusoglu stated Turkiye was in no hurry to recognize the country's interim administration, and is waiting, like many other countries, for Kabul to take the necessary steps.