The visit was reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine on its official website. It is noted that the Declaration was signed on the basis of the principles of friendship, good-neighbourliness and mutual respect, desiring to ensure peace and stability in the region and beyond, reaffirming the will to strengthen the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Turkey and to strengthen cooperation in all spheres on the basis of mutual interests, stressing their commitment to the principles and norms of international law, as a result of the Ninth meeting of the high-level strategic council between Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey, held in Istanbul on 10 of April 2021 under the agreement of the Presidents of the two States.
The full text of the Declaration between Ukraine and Turkey, as a primary source, is published on the website of the Office of President Vladimir Zelensky.
On April 10, 2021, in Istanbul, President Zelensky and President Erdoğan agreed:
- Intensify joint efforts to enhance cooperation and coordination between the parties in the fields of economy, trade, tourism, security, defence, science, education and youth.
- Continue cooperation in the Quadriga format (2 + 2) at the ministerial and coordinator levels.
- To reaffirm unconditional support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
- To continue to coordinate steps aimed at restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, in particular the de-occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
- In this context, continue to support multilateral efforts within the framework of international organizations, in particular the United Nations, the Council of Europe and OSCE.
- To support the establishment of the Crimean Platform as a new format for resolving the issue of the illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.
- To strengthen the joint efforts to improve the Ukrainian citizens, particularly Crimean Tatars, who were forced to leave their homeland, Crimea, as a result of the temporary occupation.
- To coordinate the efforts according to international law to ensure the protection of human rights in the occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and release all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens, including Crimean Tatars.
- To support the peaceful settlement of the situation in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine through dialogue based on the Minsk Agreements, to note the work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission and to continue to provide maximum support for its activities.
- Strengthen cooperation and joint efforts in combating terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their forms and manifestations.
- To adopt the joint activities aimed at preventing and eliminating transnational organized crime, cybercrime, illegal migration, trafficking in drugs and precursors, arms and persons.
- To ensure the expeditious processing of extradition requests.
- To reaffirm the commitment to further strengthen cooperation in the field of the defence industry by completing ongoing and developing new joint projects.
- To express support for the prospect of Ukraine’s membership in NATO, in particular its intention to receive a membership action plan in the near future, and to note its desire to promote the compatibility of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the NATO armed forces.
- To confirm the support of regional cooperation in the Black Sea region in order to ensure stability and safety within the framework of bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, including NATO.
- Accelerate work towards the conclusion of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement in a spirit of mutual understanding and constructiveness.
- Take the necessary measures to address the problems of investors and companies on each side and to encourage new investments.
- Further improve border controls with a view to simplifying entry procedures and improving travel opportunities for nationals of the two States and promoting reciprocal tourism.
- To support educational activities of the Turkish Foundation «Maarif» in Ukraine.
- To reaffirm the commitment to cooperate and coordinate efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and to address its impact on social and economic activities.
Also, thanks to the initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine Elena Zelenskaya, audio guides in the Ukrainian language were launched in two historically important places in Turkey: in the Galata fortress in Istanbul and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. The ceremony was supported by the First Lady of Turkey, Emine Erdoğan.
