Turkish Embassy in Ukraine relocates back to Kyiv after temporarily shifting out amid war

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the Embassy of Turkey in Ukraine has returned to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. The Turkey Embassy in Ukraine has announced the development in a Facebook post on Tuesday, April 5. The Turkish Embassy in Ukraine in a statement stated that from Wednesday, April 6, they will start their work including consulate services in their office at Panasa Mirnoho Street number 22 in Kyiv.

In the Facebook post, the Turkey Embassy in Ukraine revealed that they had temporarily shifted their office to Chernivtsi. Their office in Chernivtsi had become their logistics centre for evacuating people from the war-torn nation. The statement of the Turkish Embassy on Facebook reads, "We temporarily shifted our activities to the city of Chernivtsi, which became our logistics center for evacuation efforts. As of today, we returned home to Kyiv."

Targeting civilians not 'acceptable': Turkish Embassy in Ukraine 

On April 4, the Turkish Embassy in Kyiv also called images of "massacre" that were shared on media in various regions of Ukraine including Bucha and Irpin "terrifying." According to the statement released on Facebook, the Turkish Embassy stressed that targeting civilians is not "acceptable" and expressed hope for independent investigation. The Turkish Embassy insisted that they share the pain of people and will continue to make efforts to bring an end to the "shameful scenes" and ensure peace at an earliest.

Turkish President Erdogan speaks to Zelenskyy

Earlier on April 1, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy over phone call. During the telephonic conversation, the two leaders discussed the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istambul, according to the statement released by Erdogan on Twitter. Over the phone call, Erdogan stated that Istanbul has added meaningful momentum to the process in bringing an end to the war. Both sides noted that the peace talks indicated signs of de-escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Zelenskyy thanked Turkish President for hosting the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. 

Russia-Ukraine War 

It is pertinent to note here that Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning and speculations about his intention to invade Ukraine. On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine and the troops and tanks of Moscow stormed across the Ukrainian border. Since then, Russian armed forces have been bombarding several cities in Ukraine, resulting in the killing of people and destruction of infrastructure in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the delegations of Russia and Ukraine held peace talks in Istanbul on March 29. 

Image: AP