Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that cooperation between Turkey and Russia is crucial for resolving regional conflicts, his office said Friday.
“Cooperation between Turkey and Russia is of key importance in resolving regional issues,” he said following discussions that touched on both the Ukraine war and the situation in Syria.
The pair spoke about security in the Black Sea, with Erdoğan pledging Ankara would take steps to ensure “the safety of commercial navigation,” which would contribute to peace efforts.
The Kremlin confirmed they exchanged views on “the resumption of the Black Sea initiative for safe navigation and the removal of obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizers.”
The initiative was a deal brokered by Turkey and the UN in 2022 to ensure safe navigation for Ukrainian agricultural exports in the Black Sea.
But Moscow pulled out of the deal in 2023, accusing the West of failing to ease sanctions that it said hit Russia’s own exports of agricultural products and fertilizers.
The call took place the day after European nations agreed to ramp up sanctions on Russia over its three-year war on Ukraine, as Washington separately pursued its own peace initiative through direct talks with Moscow.
“Turkey is closely following the process initiated to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and is ready to provide all kinds of support, including hosting peace negotiations,” Erdoğan told Putin.
NATO member Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with both of its Black Sea neighbors since the Russian invasion and has twice hosted talks aimed at ending the war.
Erdoğan also said it was “important for Turkey and Russia to work together to ensure that Syria achieves lasting peace and stability.”
Russia was a key backer of Syria’s recently deposed strongman, Bashar al-Assad, offering him military backing during the civil war, while Turkey threw its support behind the rebels opposing him.
Russia has sought to build bridges with the new administration in Damascus, in particular to secure the fate of its military bases in the country.
© Agence France-Presse