Moscow, 31 May 2022 (TDI): The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin had a telephonic conversation with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The presidents exchanged extensive views on bilateral cooperation issues, notably commerce and the economy, highlighting significant development in trade.
🇷🇺🇹🇷📞President #Putin spoke over the phone with President @RTErdogan.
Discussing the developments in Ukraine, Presidents emphasised the need to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea & the Sea of Azov to remove threat of mines in these waters.
🔗 https://t.co/H1yAbGfOOB pic.twitter.com/kPEe7loywQ
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) May 30, 2022
Further, they also discussed the outcomes of a recent visit to Turkey by a Russian group led by Alexander Novak, Co-Chair of the Russia-Turkey Intergovernmental Commission and Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.
In addition to this, the leaders decided to have further meetings to strengthen mutually beneficial relations, particularly in energy, transportation, and tourism.
When discussing the situation in Ukraine, they emphasized the need of ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, as well as eliminate the threat of mines in these areas. Previously, Turkey made attempts to mediate the conflict
Vladimir Putin emphasized Russia’s commitment to enabling uninterrupted cargo transit in collaboration with its Turkish allies, particularly grain exports from Ukrainian ports.
Concerning the challenges in global food markets caused by the West’s financial and economic policies, it was affirmed that Russia would export significant amounts of fertilizer and agricultural goods if anti-Russia sanctions were repealed.
The presidents also discussed various regional concerns and their impact on both countries to work on them for mutual benefit.
Russia-Turkey Bilateral Ties
Relations between Turkey and the Russian Federation have a long history. Following the Cold War’s conclusion, new opportunities and views for collaboration developed.
Additionally, following the fast rise of economic cooperation in the 1990s, bilateral ties began a new phase in the early 2000s with close engagement between the two nations’ leaders and took on an institutional character with the founding of the High-Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) in 2010.
The primary force behind Turkish-Russian ties is economic and commercial cooperation. Russia has been one of Turkey’s most significant trading partners. In addition, in 2019, the two countries’ trade volume totaled 26,309 billion USD, with Turkey exporting 3,854 billion USD and importing 22,454 billion USD.
Turkey maintains a consulate in Moscow. Ankara is home to the Russian Federation’s embassy.
