Erdogan refuses to accuse certain parties of explosion at Polish border

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed regret for the explosion on the Polish-Ukrainian border, but refrained from accusing any party.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

President Joko Widodo holds a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Monday (14/11/2022).

NUSA DUA, KOMPAS – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed regret on Wednesday (16/11/2022) in Nusa Dua over the tragic explosion in eastern Poland bordering Ukraine. However, Erdogan said he did not want to point fingers at a particular party.

Erdogan said he did not attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) emergency meeting this morning, though he spoke to his NATO counterparts.

also read:

> Bali Declaration Highlights Ukrainian War, Economic Impacts as G20 Summit Ends

“I spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and we agreed not to fall for the provocations of any party that wants to make matters worse. President Joe Biden of the United States also said so. The main thing is, NATO is waiting for the investigation into this incident to be completed before taking further steps,” Erdogan told a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 Bali Summit in Nusa Dua.

Erdogan said he respected Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement that Moscow was not responsible for the missile explosion in Poland. He also promised to continue talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to accelerate the process of holding peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

AP PHOTO/EFREM LUKATSKY

A truck dumps grain in the Ukrainan village of Zghurivka on Tuesday (9/8/2022).

Erdogan also spoke of the current state of the grain export corridor in the Black Sea, explaining that he would speak with President Putin by phone after he had returned to Türkiye from Indonesia. Thus far, 11 million tonnes of grain had departed from the Black Sea and entered global markets, as had fertilizers and ammonia.

“President Putin gave the green light and we all hope that this initiative can be extended for up to one year,” said Erdogan.

This article was translated by Yessy Rizky Utami.