Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested on Wednesday to his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts the creation of an international commission of inquiry after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine.
In a telephone conversation with the Ukrainian head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky, “President Erdogan stated that a commission could be created with the participation of specialists from the warring parties, the United Nations and the international community, including Turkey,” the Turkish Presidency announced. . in statement.
This commission would be tasked with carrying out an “in-depth investigation into the destruction of the Kakhovka dam,” Ankara explained.
Zelensky also indicated that he had spoken with Erdogan about “the humanitarian and environmental consequences” of the floods caused in the south of the Ukrainian territory by the destruction of the dam.
“We discussed the humanitarian and environmental consequences of the Russian terrorist act against the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, including the risks for the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” Zelensky wrote on the social network Twitter, adding “having presented” to the Turkish counterpart “a list of urgent needs to face the catastrophe”.
Erdogan then spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling him he wanted the international investigation to “dispel any suspicions,” the Turkish presidency said in a second statement.
Moscow and Kiev deny responsibility for the attack on the dam that supplies water to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, and which is in the path of Ukrainian troops to retake the occupied territories.
The destruction of the dam caused an abrupt fall of torrents of water down the course of the Dnieper River, forcing several thousand people to leave the flooded areas and raising fears of an ecological catastrophe.
Turkey, a NATO member state, has managed, since the start of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops more than 15 months ago, to maintain good relations with both kyiv and Moscow.
The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine has so far caused the flight of more than 14.7 million people -6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 8.2 million to European countries-, according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the wider international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing political and economic sanctions on Russia.
The UN presented as confirmed since the beginning of the war, which today entered its day 469, 8,983 civilian deaths and 15,442 wounded, stressing that these figures are far below the real ones.
Source: TSF
