President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky looks forward to the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Kyiv as part of the regular meeting of the High Level Strategic Council in early 2021.

According to the presidential press service, the President of Ukraine on Friday, December 18, met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Minister of National Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akar.

Thus, the president noted the importance of the strategic partnership between Kyiv and Ankara and the further development of cooperation between the two countries in all areas where there is mutual interest.

Zelensky also welcomed the start of a new bilateral mechanism of cooperation between the parties, namely, consultations in the Quadriga format.

"We believe that this is a historic moment, our countries have never worked in this format. I congratulate both Ukraine and Turkey on the start of the Quadriga format, in which we can move forward faster," he said.

Turkish officials also confirmed the unchanged position of Ankara on the illegal annexation of Crimea. The president expressed gratitude for the readiness of the Turkish side to join the work of the Crimean Platform, where Turkey should play a special role.

"I am grateful to Turkey for constantly defending and supporting Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, not recognizing the illegal occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. I am grateful for the support of the Crimean Tatars," Zelensky said.

In addition, the parties noted a mutual intention to develop trade and economic cooperation in order to achieve the goal of $10 billion in bilateral trade in the near future.

"Following the talks, the parties confirmed the agreement to hold the regular meeting of the High Level Strategic Council in early 2021. Zelensky invited President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Kyiv," the President's Office said.