Ukrainians in Germany ask for Turkiye's help in evacuation of civilians

By Cuneyt Karadag

BERLIN (AA) - More than 200 Ukrainians living in Germany gathered Tuesday in front of the Turkish Embassy in Berlin with Ukrainian flags and banners asking the Turkish leader to help Ukrainians amid their ongoing war with Russia.

Chanting "Turkiye save Mariupol" in Turkish, protesters asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to help Ukrainian soldiers and civilians trapped in the besieged port city of Mariupol.

Demonstrator Eva Yakubovska said protesters made a similar call for help in front of the Turkish Embassy in Berlin two weeks ago, noting that residents "got stuck" in Mariupol for more than two months.

"It's incredible. These people have to find water and food. Some 500 civilians are also stuck in the city," she said.

Yakubovska said residents should be evacuated as soon as possible. "The security of the evacuation of these people should not be ensured only by Ukraine and Russia, the Turkish state should also be involved for safe evacuation."

She emphasized that the best option for evacuation of soldiers and civilians trapped in Mariupol is by sea.

"At the same time, Turkiye is a strong country and can achieve evacuation by providing security," she added.

- 'People's right to exist'

Vladyslava Vorobiova, another protester, said demonstrators want "people's right to exist" in Mariupol to be protected.

"People who gathered in front of the Turkish Embassy in Berlin want to save lives, they want to save not only the lives of Ukrainians but also the lives of all people in Mariupol,” she said. “Mariupol has been under siege since the Russian war began. People were deprived of their right to live there. We are here for them.”

Vorobiova underlined that Turkiye is the only country that could evacuate people from Mariupol by sea.

"Turkiye supported us and we are very grateful for that. But for Mariupol, we still need a strong move and the fastest possible evacuation because every second counts," she said.

Suat Palabas said he lived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, but came to Germany because of the war.

"We want Turkiye to mediate and help end the war. Turkiye is a reliable country. Ukrainians know that they will be helped. Because they trust Turkiye, they ask for help from Turkiye," he added.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara