GingeOrCringe
Junior
- Apr 5, 2020
- 625
To: İsmail Cem Beowulf |
From: Oleksander Chalyi |
Subject: Forging a new friendship |
CC: Viktor Yushchenko |
Security: encrypted and private |
To the honorable Minister İsmail Cem and the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Türkiye, peace be upon you,
One could spend pages lauding Türkiye’s long record of admirable achievements, but pearls require no polishing. As sincere as we are in our praises, We respect your country too much to detract from its minister’s valuable time with flattery. Instead, we shall be direct. As neighbors situated on the Black Sea, Türkiye and Ukraine will no doubt continue to have frequent interactions. Like any country, we hope that these encounters will be peaceful--if not friendly.
We would be interested in discussing trade, as well as the security of the Black Sea and its warm waters. We are also interested in learning more about Türkiye’s Foreign Policy—what are your country’s goals? If there is anything else which could strengthen our relations with you, we are eager to discuss it. We may schedule a phone call or continue this conversation over email--whichever option is more convenient for you.
Our peoples are quite different, yet there is so much we have in common. Your country is graced by beautiful mosques and minarets that, like a loving parent or brother, call the faithful to the sanctuary of prayer. Likewise, Ukrainians find comfort in our own spirituality. Many weathered the tribulations of communism and the Soviet Union under the onion-domes of our church. Türkiye blossoms between Asia and Europe—some roots reach into the shores of the Balkan Peninsula, others stretch into the rich soil of Anatolia. You are a bridge between Asia and Europe, a gate between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. You are not at the periphery of these regions, but the center of the world. Ukraine exists within an equally liminal space—wedged between Russia and the West. We hope these commonalities will serve as a foundation for future partnership and understanding.
May our friendship be as prosperous as the reign of Ḳānūnī Sulṭān Süleymān and Hürrem Sultan.
With sincere respect and warm regards,
Oleksander Oleksandrovich Chalyi
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
The Republic of Ukraine