Turkish, Russian Leaders Discuss 2-Way, Int'l Issues Over Phone

The presidents of Russia and Turkey spoke over the phone on Thursday, discussing bilateral ties, tourism, the Sputnik V vaccine, Nagorno-Karabakh region and Syria, the Kremlin announced.

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced appreciation during the talk for Moscow's decision to resume air traffic with his country, as well as for the start of deliveries of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, said the online statement.

For his part, Putin shared his impressions on his meeting last week with US President Joe Biden in Geneva, it added.

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 Turkish President expressed support for Russian efforts to ensure the full implementation of the agreements fixed in the statements of the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan from November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021," said the statement.

It also noted that Putin and Erdogan confirmed their mutual readiness to continue coordination, including in the interest of economic development and restoration of transport infrastructure of the region.

Addressing the situation in Syria, both presidents stressed the importance of the joint work of the Russian and Turkish armed forces in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib to prevent escalation, as well as their efforts in the northeast of the country and in the fight against the terrorist groups in these areas, it added.

They also agreed to continue personal contacts and joint work at other levels. -