Fidan, Rutte discuss Black Sea security, Russia-Ukraine war
BRUSSELS
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte have discussed the latest developments in the Black Sea after Ukraine attacked three commercial tankers and ongoing efforts to end its war with Russia.
Fidan and Rutte held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Dec. 3, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
The two diplomats discussed intensified diplomatic engagements to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the security in the Black Sea. Ankara has expressed its frustration over the Ukrainian sea drone attacks on three commercial tankers bound for Russia in the past days.
Türkiye has been paying significant importance to preventing the spread of the war to the Black Sea and maintaining maritime safety.
Fidan and Rutte also exchanged views on the next NATO leaders summit to be held in Ankara in July 2026. The sources said they also reviewed the contributions of the Turkish defense industry to the NATO allies.
On the margins of the meeting, Fidan is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel, Spanish Foreign Minister Joıse Manuel Albares, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
He also held a trilateral with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgşev and Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu.
Fidan to attend OSCE meeting in Vienna
Following the NATO meeting, Fidan will travel to Vienna to attend the foreign ministerial of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Dec. 4 and 5.
In his address to the meeting, Fidan will reiterate that Türkiye welcomes the efforts to end the Ukraine war through negotiations that would lead to a fair and permanent peace. The minister will also repeat Türkiye’s readiness to contribute to these efforts.
He will also underline the fact that the only way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian problem is a two-state solution and will mention recent achievements between Azerbaijan and Armenia for permanent peace.