Turkey pleased Ukrainian sailors are home safe: Erdogan

ISTANBUL

Turkey is pleased to see the safe return home of four Ukrainian sailors from Libya, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

"My treasured friend @ZelenskyyUa [Volodymyr Zelensky], we are pleased that Ukrainian sailors have returned home safe and sound," he said in reply to the Ukrainian president’s Friday tweet thanking the Turkish leader.

"Together, we will continue to struggle for all our friends, for all our brothers and sisters anywhere in the world."

Zelensky earlier expressed gratitude for the Turkish president's help in bringing back the Ukrainian sailors from Libya.

The sailors, detained in the North African country in 2016, were sentenced to five years in prison in December 2017.

They were released this week and reached Ukraine on Friday.

"Glad to welcome our sailors, members of the Captain Khayyam tanker's crew, at home after 5 years of detention in #Libya! Ukraine never forgets and doesn't leave its people in trouble," Zelensky wrote on Twitter.

"Special thanks to @RTErdogan [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] for helping to evacuate our citizens. Ukraine appreciates Turkey's support."

*Writing by Handan Kazanci