Turkish, Russian leaders discuss bilateral ties over phone
ISTANBUL / MOSCOW
The presidents of Russia and Turkey spoke over the phone on June 24 and discussed bilateral ties, tourism, the Sputnik V vaccine, Nagorno-Karabakh region and Syria, official statements said.
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed satisfaction over the resumption of flights from Russia to Turkey from June 22, and said they will discuss the steps to be taken to reach the target of $100 billion trade volume between two countries at the Joint Economic Commission meeting scheduled for July 30 in Moscow, said a statement from the Turkish Communications Directorate.
Noting that he personally witnessed the destruction caused by the Armenian forces in the region during his visit to Azerbaijan’s Shusha city, Erdoğan emphasized that Armenia should now focus on peace and cooperation and that the trilateral declarations between Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia should be fully implemented, the statement said.
Erdoğan also said the Syrian regime has increased violations on the ground, adding YPG/PKK terror group has also intensified terrorist attacks, as seen in its targeting of a hospital in Afrin, it added.
The presence of terrorists in the region poses a serious threat to security, Erdogan added.
In a statement, Kremlin said Erdoğan also voiced appreciation for the start of deliveries of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.
Putin, for his part, shared his impressions on his last week’s meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva, the statement said.
The leaders exchanged views on the situation concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh region that Azerbaijan liberated last year from decades of Armenian occupation. They made a positive assessment of the efforts of a joint Russian-Turkish center monitoring the resulting cease-fire in the region, the Kremlin statement said.
“The President of Turkey expressed support for Russia’s efforts to ensure the full implementation of the agreements set in the Statements of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan from November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021,” it added.
It also noted that Putin and Erdogan confirmed their mutual readiness to continue coordination, including in the interests of economic development and rebuilding the region’s transport infrastructure.
Reviewing the situation in Syria, both presidents stressed the importance of the joint work by the Russian and Turkish militaries aimed at preventing the escalation of tensions in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib as well as in the northeast and in the fight against terrorist groups in these regions.
They also agreed to continue personal contacts and joint work at other levels.