Ankara (TDI): The President of the Republic of Türkiye, Tayyip Erdogan, discussed bilateral cooperation with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, in a phone call on Friday.
The two leaders discussed cooperation on various strategic energy projects between Russia and Türkiye and issues of common interest, including trade, bilateral cooperation in Syria, and the Black Sea ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin shared his assessment, with President Erdogan, on the ongoing dialogue with the United States regarding a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian conflict, and the normalization of Russia-America relations.
He also emphasized the positive outcomes of recent high-level interactions between Russia and the United States.
President @RTErdogan spoke by phone with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
The call addressed the Türkiye-Russia bilateral relations as well as regional and global matters.
Underlining the key importance of the Türkiye-Russia cooperation in the resolution of regional issues,…
— Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye (@trpresidency) March 28, 2025
The Directorate of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye reported that President Erdogan and President Putin underlined the significance of the Türkiye-Russia cooperation in resolving regional issues.
Erdoğan stated that Türkiye has been closely monitoring the process initiated to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and it is ready to provide all kinds of support, including hosting the peace negotiations to secure a lasting peace between the warring countries.
He also discussed the developments regarding the Black Sea ceasefire and elaborated on Türkiye’s efforts “to prevent the Black Sea from turning into a conflict zone.”
Read More: Russia, Ukraine Agree on Black Sea Shipping Safety: US
He said that “steps to be taken in good faith to ensure commercial navigation safety in the Black Sea,” which would contribute to the peace process.
Kremlin reported that President Vladimir Putin exchanged his views on the resumption of the “Black Sea initiative” to ensure safe navigation and the removal of trade blockades to the export of Russian food and fertilizers.
This initiative was originally brokered by Türkiye and the UN Secretariat in July 2022 and is yet to be implemented.
President Erdogan also discussed the cooperation between Russia and Türkiye in Syria “to restore peace and stability… based on the country’s territorial integrity.”
🇷🇺🇹🇷 On March 28, Presidents Vladimir #Putin & @RTErdogan held a telephone conversation.
The two Leaders discussed current issues of further developing mutually beneficial Russian-Turkish cooperation across various sectors.https://t.co/oorpUfAmst#RussiaTürkiye pic.twitter.com/uZwBqVWi2p
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) March 28, 2025
He said, “Türkiye and Russia can work together to thwart attempts that seek to disrupt Syria’s unity by stoking ethnic and sectarian separatism, as well as to secure the lifting of all sanctions on Syria.”
Furthermore, the Turkish President reiterated Türkiye’s support for the dissolution of Syrian Democratic Forces within Syria’s central government framework and said, “stopping Syria, in its entirety, from serving as a fertile ground for terrorist organizations is of vital importance for the country’s stability.”
President Erdogan also reiterated that both Türkiye and Russia can collaborate to prevent efforts aimed at destabilizing Syria, including actions that ignite ethnic and sectarian conflicts.
Javaria Khalid is a Web Contributor at The Diplomatic Insight Magazine. She specializes in covering geopolitical developments, international relations, diplomatic, and socio-economic developments in Europe and Pakistan.
