War in Ukraine: Mariupol at the heart of Turkey's concerns
Turkish imam Mehmet Yuce holds a Turkish flag and poses with Turkish nationals outside the mosque in Mariupol, Ukraine, Saturday, March 12, 2022. AP - Evgeniy Maloletka
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The large southeastern port city, besieged by Russian forces, is still awaiting the arrival of a humanitarian aid convoy, which has been blocked at a Russian checkpoint.
The Turkish authorities, who have maintained a close dialogue with Moscow since the beginning of the war and even offer their mediation, are particularly worried about the fate of their nationals who have remained in Mariupol, some of whom have gathered in a mosque in the city.
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With our correspondent in Istanbul,
Anne Andlauer
Contrary to what the Ukrainian government had declared the day before, the head of Turkish diplomacy affirms this Sunday, March 13 that the mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent in Mariupol has so far not been affected by the Russian bombardments.
He confirms, on the other hand, that Turkish citizens are refugees inside and communicate with Turkey by satellite telephone.
If Mevlut Cavusoglu does not specify their number, he adds to have communicated it to the Russian authorities, who had asked him.
► To read also: War in Ukraine: Erdogan tries to mediate with Vladimir Putin
The Turkish Foreign Minister says he spoke directly with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, and asked for his "
support
" for the evacuation of Turkish citizens and, more broadly, civilians from Mariupol.
“
We have been sending buses there for several days, but they cannot enter the city
”, regretted Mevlut Cavusoglu, insisting on the “
need to open a humanitarian corridor
”.
To date, Turkey claims to have been able to evacuate 14,480 of its nationals since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The head of Turkish diplomacy assures “
discussing permanently
” this subject with his Russian interlocutors, but deplores the absence of agreement between Kiev and Moscow on the route of this corridor.
► To read also: Headlines: global outrage after the bombing of a children's hospital in Mariupol
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