MOSCOW, July 14. /TASS/. The Russian and Turkish Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussed international issues in a phone conversation, focusing on joint steps in Syria, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

"Pressing regional and international issues have been discussed. Particular attention was paid to joint steps aimed at solving the crisis in Syria on the basis of corresponding resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the agreements reached within the Astana format," the statement says. "[They] agreed to stay in contact.".

Putin congratulated Erdogan once more on winning the recent election and coming to office as Turkey’s president.

"Both sides underscored mutual aspirations to promote cooperation in diverse fields," the press service said.

Earlier, a source at the Turkish presidential office told reporters that Erdogan and Putin in their first phone talks after Erdogan’s win in the presidential election on June 24 agreed to hold a one-on-one meeting in Johannesburg in late July on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. The two presidents were content with the implementation of numerous bilateral projects, including the TurkStream gas pipeline and the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant.

The talks focused in recent developments in Syria, in particular in the Daraa and Idlib regions.