Establishment of Ukrainian-Turkish relations

The Ukrainian and Turkish nations have a long history of relations. The first agreement can be considered the agreement between Cossack Ukraine and the Ottoman Empire, concluded in 1649, which granted Ukrainian ships freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and the right to pass through the Turkish Straits, and exempted Ukrainian merchants from customs duties and other taxes for 100 years.

Turkey was also one of the first countries to recognise the Ukrainian People's Republic in 1918, when the two sides opened diplomatic missions.

In modern history, the Republic of Turkey recognised Ukraine's state independence on 16 December 1991. On 3 February 1992, the Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Ukraine and Turkey was signed. On 3 April 1992, the Embassy of Turkey opened in Kyiv, and on 3 January 1993, the Embassy of Ukraine began its work in Ankara. The Consulate General of Ukraine in Istanbul and the Consulate of Ukraine in Antalya also operate in Turkey.

Turkey is represented by the Embassy in Kyiv and the Consulate General in Odesa.

The foundations of good-neighbourly Ukrainian-Turkish relations were laid in international legal documents such as the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey of 4 May 1992 and the Joint Action Plan between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of Turkey on Enhanced Cooperation of 2 April 2004.

On 25 January 2011, the parties signed a Joint Declaration on the Establishment of the High Level Strategic Council between Ukraine and Turkey, which established a strategic partnership between the two countries and defined the institutional mechanism for its implementation.

On 3 February 2022, Ukraine and Turkey signed a Free Trade Agreement. The parties are working on its entry into force.

Relations between Ukraine and Turkey are developing dynamically in the spirit of trust and strategic partnership within the framework of both bilateral and multilateral mechanisms and are aimed at ensuring support and mutually beneficial cooperation and establishing security and stability in the Black Sea region. The parties are taking steps to deepen cooperation in trade, economic, security, defence, educational, scientific and other spheres.

Support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine

Turkey supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, condemned the so-called "referendum" in Crimea in March 2014 and co-sponsored the UN General Assembly resolutions "Territorial integrity of Ukraine" (2014) and "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol" (2014-2022), as well as on Russia's militarization of Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov (2018-2021). Turkey co-authored and supported the UN General Assembly resolutions "Aggression against Ukraine" of 02.03.2022, "Humanitarian consequences of aggression against Ukraine" of 24.03.2022, "On a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine" of 23.02.2023, as well as all other UN General Assembly resolutions initiated by Ukraine in connection with the Russian war against Ukraine.

Turkey is constantly participating at the highest level in the work of the International Crimean Platform and has closed the Black Sea straits to Russian and other warships and Turkish airspace to Russian military aircraft.

Between July 2022 and July 2023, the Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Grain and Food from Ukrainian Ports launched, with a memorandum of understanding signed in Istanbul by representatives of Ukraine, Turkey and the UN. As a result of this Initiative, 33 million tons of agricultural products were transported.

The Republic of Turkey is the leader of point 2 of the Ukrainian Formula for Peace "Food Security".

Ukraine sent 2 aircraft, 15 units of equipment and a rescue team of the State Emergency Service (87 people) to Turkey to eliminate the consequences of the earthquakes of 06-07.02.2023.

High-level dialogue

The dynamics of high-level contacts within the framework of the political dialogue between Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey is high, as the two countries are in the orbit of each other's interests both due to their geographical location and active interpersonal contacts, and given the parties' desire to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in economy and trade, transport, energy, defence industry, etc. In order to achieve practical results, the High Level Strategic Council between Ukraine and Turkey, co-chaired by the Presidents of both countries, meets annually, and there is an active dialogue between the heads of the foreign ministries, including within the framework of the Joint Strategic Planning Group and during international events, and an active sectoral dialogue.

Contacts at the level of the presidents: 5 January 2019 (Istanbul), 7 August 2019 (Ankara), 3 February 2020 (Kyiv), 16 October 2020 (Istanbul), 10 April 2021 (Istanbul), 21 September 2021 (New York), 3 February 2022 (Kyiv), 18 August 2022 (visit of the President of Turkey to Ukraine), 07-08 July 2023 (Istanbul).

At the governmental level: 9 July 2018 (visit of the Prime Minister of Ukraine V.Groysman to Turkey to attend the inauguration ceremony of the President of Turkey R.T.Erdoğan), 20 May 2019 (visit of the Vice President of Turkey F.Oktaş to Ukraine to attend the inauguration of the President of Ukraine V.Zelenskyy), 30 November 2020 (visit of the Prime Minister of Ukraine D.Shmyhal to Ankara and Istanbul).

At the level of foreign ministers: 1 February 2019 (Odesa, 7th meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Group), 3-4 July 2020 (Istanbul, 8th meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Group), 2 December 2020 (Ankara, bilateral meeting with the Turkish counterpart and joint participation in the North Atlantic Council), 18 December 2020 (Kyiv, first Quadriga meeting), 10 April 2021 (Istanbul, in the framework of the 9th meeting of the JSPG), 23 April 2021 (on the sidelines of the quadripartite meeting of the MFAs of Poland, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine in Bucharest), 19 June 2021 (on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum), 7-8 October 2021 (9th meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Group, Lviv), 10 March 2022 (on the sidelines of the Anatolian Diplomatic Forum), 17 March 2022 (visit of Minister Çavuşoğlu to Lviv), 25 August 2023 (visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey to Ukraine).

Inter-parliamentary cooperation

The development of interparliamentary dialogue has been an important element of political cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. There are active and regular contacts at the level of the chairmen of parliaments, their deputies and heads of committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Grand National Assembly (Parliament) of Turkey. Turkey is an active participant in the inter-parliamentary dimension of the International Crimean Platform.

Existing bilateral high-level bodies

On 25 January 2011, the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of the High Level Strategic Council between Ukraine and Turkey was signed, which established the strategic partnership between the two countries. The High Level Strategic Council is the highest body between Ukraine and Turkey that develops the strategy and main directions of bilateral relations and coordinates the implementation of important projects in important areas. The mechanism is chaired by the presidents of both countries and meets annually.

The first meeting of the High Level Strategic Council between Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey took place on 22 December 2011 in Ankara, the second - on 13 September 2012 in Kyiv, the third - on 9 October 2013 in Ankara, the fourth - on 20 March 2015 in Kyiv, the fifth - on 9 March 2016 in Ankara, the sixth - on 9 October 2017 in Kyiv, the seventh - on 3 November 2018 in Istanbul, the eighth - on 3 February 2020 in Kyiv, the ninth - on 10 April 2021 in Istanbul, the tenth - on 3 February 2022 in Kyiv.

The Strategic Planning Group, co-chaired by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey, is a mechanism for preparing for the meetings of the High Level Strategic Council.

The Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation meets on a regular basis under the co-chairmanship of the Co-Chairs appointed by the governments of Ukraine and Turkey. The 12th meeting was held online on 15-16 September 2020 under the chairmanship of the heads of the Commission's secretariats, in the framework of the visit of President of Ukraine V.Zelenskyy to the Republic of Turkey (16 October 2020).

The Joint Commission on Defence Industrial Cooperation, co-chaired by the Deputy Ministers of Defence of Ukraine and Turkey, also meets regularly by agreement of the parties. The 8th meeting was held in Ankara on 15-18 May 2023.

Political and security consultations in the Quadriga format at the level of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence (the 1st meeting was held in Kyiv on 18 December 2020).

Joint Working Group on Energy (6th meeting held on 24 June 2021);

Working Group on Public-Private Partnerships (2nd meeting held in Ankara on 23 May 2019).