The positions of Russia and Turkey on Ukraine do not coincide, but Moscow appreciates Ankara's efforts to resolve the crisis. The statement came from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday before a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
The Minister noted that the key topic of the talks will be the situation in Ukraine and the need for its speedy settlement.
Moscow and Ankara have different approaches to the situation in Ukraine but Russia respects and appreciates Turkey’s position, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Wednesday.
"Today, the key issue for us is the situation in Ukraine and the need to resolve it as soon as possible. It is no secret that our positions on the issue are different but we do appreciate and respect Turkey’s stance and seek to deal with challenges created by the current crisis in an objective manner," Lavrov noted.
"We certainly take note of and appreciate Ankara’s responsible approach to its obligations under the Montreux Convention," he added.
The Russian Foreign Minister also touched upon the Armenian-Turkish relations, noting that Russia welcomes the process of normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia.
The Russian top diplomat also stressed that apart from the situation in Ukraine, the meeting’s agenda also included an exchange of views on developments in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and Nagorno-Karabakh.