ISTANBUL, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called for a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the "worrying developments" in eastern Ukraine between Kiev and Moscow.
"We believe that the current crisis must be resolved peacefully by diplomatic means in line with the territorial integrity of Ukraine and international laws," Erdogan said at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul.
"Our main goal is that the Black Sea continues to be a sea of peace, tranquility, and cooperation," Erdogan stressed, saying that his country does not want the tension to escalate.
For his part, Zelensky said Turkey's support for the restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is "extremely important."
The Ukrainian president's visit was within the framework of the 9th meeting of the Turkey-Ukraine High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
The two countries explored cooperation opportunities specifically in the defense industry, free-trade agreement, and tourism during the council meeting co-chaired by Erdogan and Zelensky.
Meanwhile, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar had a separate meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Taran.
