Turkish, Russian leaders discuss regional, global issues in phone call

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral relations, as well as key regional and global developments.

During the call, President Erdoğan emphasised the importance of Türkiye-Russia cooperation in resolving regional conflicts. He reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to supporting efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, including hosting peace negotiations to facilitate an honourable and lasting settlement, Caliber.Az reports, citing the administration of the President of Türkiye on its social media page on X.

Cumhurbaşkanımız @RTErdogan, Rusya Devlet Başkanı Vladimir Putin ile bir telefon görüşmesi gerçekleştirdi.

Görüşmede Türkiye ile Rusya ikili ilişkileri, bölgesel ve küresel konular ele alındı.

Cumhurbaşkanımız Erdoğan görüşmede, bölgesel meselelerin çözümünde Türkiye ile…

— T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı (@tcbestepe) March 28, 2025

The discussion also covered the security of commercial navigation in the Black Sea. President Erdoğan stressed that steps taken in good faith to ensure safe maritime trade would contribute to the broader peace process. He reiterated Türkiye’s determination to prevent the Black Sea from becoming a conflict zone.

Regarding Syria, President Erdoğan highlighted the significance of Turkish-Russian collaboration in achieving lasting peace and stability based on Syria’s territorial integrity. He warned against efforts to fuel ethnic and sectarian divisions and called for the complete removal of sanctions on Syria.

Additionally, Erdoğan underlined that Syria’s resources should be controlled by the Syrian government. He voiced Türkiye’s support for integrating the so-called "Syrian Democratic Forces" into the central government and emphasised that ensuring Syria is no longer a safe haven for terrorist organisations is critical for its stability.

By Vugar Khalilov