
Erdogan stresses importance of bilateral cooperation to preserve Syria's territorial integrity and lift sanctions
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call that cooperation between the two countries is "crucial" for resolving regional issues, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said on Friday.The conversation covered bilateral ties and regional and global topics, according to a statement shared on X.
Erdogan said Türkiye is closely following efforts to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and is ready to support peace talks, including hosting them, to achieve a lasting and honorable peace.
He said goodwill measures to ensure safe commercial navigation in the Black Sea would contribute to the peace process, and Türkiye will continue to play its role in preventing the Black Sea from becoming a conflict zone.
On Syria, Erdogan reiterated Türkiye's commitment to working with Russia to preserve the country's territorial integrity and achieve lasting peace and stability.
He emphasized the importance of both countries cooperating to counter efforts that fuel sectarian divisions in Syria and stressed that they can work together to fully lift sanctions imposed on the country.
The Turkish president said Syria's resources should remain under the control of the Syrian government and expressed Türkiye's support for integrating the so-called “Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)” into the central government.
He also highlighted the vital importance of ensuring that Syria no longer serves as a "safe haven" for terrorist organizations to maintain the country's stability.
On March 11, the Syrian presidency announced the signing of an agreement integrating the SDF into the institutions of the Syrian Arab Republic, reinforcing national unity and rejecting any division of the country.
In a separate statement, the Kremlin said Putin shared his assessment of the progress made in the dialogue with the US on finding a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict and normalizing Russian-American relations.
Putin described the Russian-American engagements as having a "constructive nature," emphasizing the positive developments achieved at the recent consultations of the expert groups of the two countries in Riyadh and the moratorium on strikes on energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine for a period of 30 days starting March 18.
"In this regard Vladimir Putin drew attention to the Kyiv's regime's persistent provocative attempts to target Russia's energy infrastructure," it said.
While discussing the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the two leaders spoke about removal of obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizers.
"When discussing the current situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, the leaders emphasized the importance of ensuring the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, the need to provide all possible assistance to its authorities and people in order to strengthen internal political stability, respect for the legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic and religious groups of the population," the statement said.