Erdogan, Putin mull Iran-Israel conflict

During a telephone conversation on June 16, Turkish and Russian Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin expressed serious concern about the ongoing escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, Report informs referring to the Kremlin press service.

"The main focus of the telephone conversation was on the sharply aggravated situation in the Middle East. Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel's military action against Iran, undertaken in violation of the UN Charter and other norms of international law. Both sides expressed the most serious concern about the ongoing escalation of the Iranian-Israeli conflict, which has already led to a large number of casualties and is fraught with serious long-term consequences for the entire region," reads the message.

The leaders of Türkiye and Russia called for an immediate end to hostilities and the settlement of contentious issues, including those related to the Iranian nuclear‌‌‌‌ program, exclusively by political and diplomatic means. It was agreed that in this regard, the relevant departments of the two countries will closely cooperate.

"When discussing the Ukrainian issue, Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude to the Turkish side for organizational assistance in direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations," the statement said. In addition, the parties exchanged views on current issues on the bilateral agenda, including the energy sector: "This topic will be considered during Russian-Turkish contacts within the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and the upcoming meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation at the end of June."