Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. They discussed bilateral relations, regional and global issues, including the settlement in Ukraine, the Turkish leader's administration said following the talks.

“During the conversation they discussed bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia, regional and global issues. President Erdogan said that cooperation between Turkey and Russia is key to resolving regional issues, that Turkey is closely following the process launched to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and that Turkey is ready to provide any support, including the organization of peace talks, to ensure an honorable and lasting peace,” the statement said.

“President Erdogan said that the deliberate steps to be taken to ensure the safety of commercial navigation in the Black Sea will contribute to the peace process and that Turkey continues to contribute to preventing the Black Sea from becoming a conflict zone,” the text said.

Erdogan also said during the phone call that Ankara attaches great importance to cooperation with Russia on Syria.