On 5 January 2019 in Istanbul, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

During the negotiations, the leaders of the two states discussed ways to strengthen the strategic partnership, coordination of cooperation in the international arena and the prospects of concluding a bilateral agreement on a free trade area.

The Head of State highly appreciated the continued support of Turkey for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state and separately thanked for the co-sponsorship of the Republic of Turkey in the UN General Assembly resolution approved in December 2018 concerning the condemnation of the militarization by the Russian side of Crimea and Azov. Particular attention was paid to measures to release illegally imprisoned Ukrainian citizens from Russian prisons, as well as to ensure the rights of Ukrainian citizens, including Crimean Tatars, on the territory of Crimea under Russian occupation.

The Presidents of the two countries noted the positive dynamics of trade, economic and investment cooperation, as well as the growth of mutual tourist flows.