ISTANBUL, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a series of discussions during his visit to Istanbul on Friday, seeking to bolster cooperation with Türkiye, including the field of defense and joint projects.

Zelensky, accompanied by his defense minister, visited a shipyard where Ukrainian navy ships were under construction. He inspected "the readiness and equipment of the Ivan Mazepa corvette and assessed the progress of construction of a second Ada-class corvette."

"I thank Türkiye's President and all Turkish and Ukrainian defense companies for their partnership and for working together to bring peace closer and make it a lasting one," Zelensky wrote on social media platform X.

Later in the day, speaking at a joint press conference, Zelensky said that his visit was devoted to bilateral cooperation, and the two countries are working towards joint arms production.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that many Turkish companies have endured working in Ukraine despite the conflict.

"We will also strongly support the reconstruction of Ukraine," he said.

During the visit, the two sides signed an agreement to establish an electronic preliminary information exchange system regarding goods and vehicles transported between the two countries.

Salih Yilmaz, an academic from Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, said depending on its existing budget, Ukraine would like to establish a partnership with Turkish arms industry companies to produce artillery shells.

"Türkiye seems to be the safest country that can quickly produce the artillery shells that Ukraine needs most," Yilmaz told the state-run Anadolu agency.

Baris Doster, an academic at Istanbul-based Marmara University, told Xinhua that Türkiye also maintains very strong political and trade relations with Russia.

"Fostering good relations with both Ukraine and Russia would bolster Ankara's position to act as a mediator in a potential peace summit," Doster noted.

The visit marked Zelensky's second trip to Türkiye since the onset of the crisis between Ukraine and Russia. Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin was also scheduled to visit Türkiye in February. However, press reports said the visit will now take place in late April or early May. Enditem

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