ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned that the Black Sea should not turn into an “area of confrontation” between Russia and Ukraine, after several strikes in recent weeks.
“The Black Sea should not be seen as an area of confrontation. This would not benefit Russia or Ukraine. Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea,” he was quoted as telling reporters aboard his plane, according to the official Anadolu news agency.
A Russian air strike damaged a Turkish-owned vessel in a port in Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Odesa, Kyiv and the operator said on Friday.
The attack came hours after Erdogan had raised the issue personally with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan.
Erdogan had called for a “limited ceasefire” concerning attacks on ports and energy facilities in the Russia-Ukraine war, during the face-to-face talks with Putin, according to his office.
On the plane, Erdogan said he mainly discussed the war and peace efforts with Putin, Anadolu reported.
“Like all other actors, Mr.Putin knows very well where Turkiye stands on this issue,” he said.
“After this meeting we held with Putin, we hope to have the opportunity to also discuss the peace plan with US President (Donald) Trump,” he added.
“Peace is not far away, we can see it.”
Turkiye, which has sought to maintain relations with Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war, controls the Bosphorus Strait, a key passage for transporting Ukrainian grain and Russian oil toward the Mediterranean.
Over the past weeks, several attacks also targeted Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea, some of which were drone attacks claimed by Kyiv.
The attacks sparked harsh criticism from Ankara, which summoned envoys from both Russia and Ukraine.
Erdogan warns Black Sea should not be ‘area of confrontation’ after strikes
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Erdogan warns Black Sea should not be ‘area of confrontation’ after strikes
- Over the past weeks, several attacks targeted Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea, some of which were drone attacks claimed by Kyiv
Chile wildfires leave 19 dead amid extreme heat as scores evacuated
- Fast-moving wildfires being worsened by intense heat, winds
- Firefighters battling 23 active blazes spreading toward cities
CONCEPCION, Chile: Wildfires in Chile have left at least 19 people dead, authorities said on Monday, as the government carried out mass evacuations and fought nearly two dozen blazes exacerbated by intense heat and high winds.
While weather conditions overnight helped control some fires, the largest were still active, with adverse conditions expected throughout the day, security minister, Luis Cordero, said at a news briefing on Monday.
“The projection we have today is of high temperatures,” Cordero said, and the main worry was that new fires would be triggered throughout the region.
Parts of central and southern Chile were under extreme heat warnings with temperatures expected to reach up to 37 Celsius (99 Fahrenheit).
STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED IN NUBLE, BIO BIO
As of late Sunday, Chile’s CONAF forestry agency said firefighters were combating 23 fires across the country, the largest of which were in regions of Ñuble and Bío Bío, where President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe.
Over 20,000 hectares (77 square miles) have been razed so far, an area about the size of Seattle, with the largest fire surpassing 14,000 hectares on the outskirts of the coastal city Concepcion.
The fast-moving blaze tore through the towns of Penco and Lirquen over the weekend, destroying hundreds of homes and killing several people, with authorities still assessing the damage.
HEAT, BLAZES ALSO IMPACT ARGENTINA
Authorities are currently battling the fire as it threatened Manzano prison on the edge of Concepcion and the town of Tome to the north.
Both Chile and Argentina rang in the new year with heat waves which have continued into January. Earlier this month, wildfires broke out in Argentina’s Patagonia, burning around 15,000 hectares.
