Direct passenger ferries have been launched between Odesa and Istanbul, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Andriy Sybiha has reported.

"Turkey and Ukraine are becoming closer: today direct passenger ferries were launched between Haydarpasa terminal [Istanbul] and Odesa. The occupancy is 90%," he wrote on his Twitter page.

Haydarpasa terminal is a railway station on the Asian part of Istanbul. It was built in 1906-1908 as the initial point of the Istanbul- Baghdad railway. The station services Asian suburbs of Istanbul and the entire eastern part of Turkey up to the borders with Armenia, Iran and Syria.