Erdogan, Putin discuss situation in the Middle East by phone
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks by phone regarding the situation between Israel and Palestine, TASS reports
The Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye reported the details of the dialogue, “President of the Republic of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. During the conversation, the leaders of the two countries discussed the progress of the alarming conflict between Israel and Palestine and measures to prevent the growth of tension.”
They also added that the leaders of Russia and Turkiye considered initiatives to resolve humanitarian needs in the area of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“During the talk, initiatives that need to be taken to meet humanitarian needs in the region were assessed. Erdogan said that shelling of civilian settlements is a cause for concern and that such initiatives are not welcomed by Turkiye,” noted the Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye.
According to the Kremlin press service, the two presidents agree that Israel and Palestine must immediately stop the fire and start negotiations, with Russia and Turkiye ready to contribute to this.
“The need for an immediate ceasefire by both sides and the resumption of the negotiation process was underlined. Mutual readiness to actively promote this was also expressed,” Moscow noted.
According to the information organisation, the central topic of the dialogue was ‘the sharply deteriorated situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone’. Erdogan and Putin said they were concerned about the ‘continuing escalation of violence and the catastrophic increase in the number of civilian casualties’.
State leaders came to the conclusion that a long-term peaceful solution to the Middle East crisis can only be achieved on the basis of a 'two-state' plan approved by the UN Security Council. It provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
Putin and Erdogan also touched upon certain issues of Russian-Turkish co-operation across various fields. Communication between the presidents of Turkiye and Russia will continue.
