OREANDA-NEWS  The Turkish authorities are in contact with all parties to the conflict in Ukraine in the hope that it will not expand, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, addressing the UN General Assembly.

"We continue to maintain contacts with the parties in order to restore the safety of navigation on the Black Sea, including food security, and to avoid the spread of hostilities to the wider region," he said.

"The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, regardless of who carried them out, are unacceptable," Erdogan said.