Ankara is a mediator between Russia and Ukraine and will not join the US-led campaign to sanction Russia for its military action against its neighbor, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.
“Our position on sanctions needs to be accepted due to the role of a mediator that we play. Our position is clear: we will not join them, and we will not allow sanctions to go through us,” he said as cited by the media.
The remark came as the EU announced agreement in principle on a sixth round of sanctions against Russia, which includes a partial oil embargo.
Turkey’s top diplomat reiterated the no-sanctions policy as he answered questions about Ankara’s foreign affairs from the Turkish news agency Anadolu. He said his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, was scheduled to visit Turkey next week, with the issue of safe navigation in the Black Sea on the agenda.