MOSCOW, March 13. /TASS/. Issues of the diplomatic settlement of the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the South Caucasus were the focus of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin’s consultations with his Turkish counterpart, Burak Akcapar, in Ankara, the Russian foreign ministry said.
"The sides discussed issues of the Ukrainian crisis, including prospects for its political and diplomatic settlement. In this context, the Russian side stressed that the US-led collective West must stop flooding the Kiev regime with weapons, that Ukraine’s leadership must lift the self-ban on talks with Russia and take a realistic attitude to the new geopolitical realities," the ministry said.
According to the ministry, the two senior diplomats exchanged views on the situation in the South Caucasus "with a focus on the importance of the process of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani ties and promoting this within regional formats."
"They also reviewed cooperation with Central Asian countries. The Russian delegation noted the high dynamics of the partnership with countries of this region," the ministry noted. "The sides also touched upon some aspects of the Russian-Turkish agenda in the context of further joint steps geared to expand cooperation and promote the constructive dialogue between Moscow and Ankara and agreed to continue contacts."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said that his country is ready to act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine and offer a venue for potential talks between Moscow and Kiev. Erdogan is maintaining contacts with both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.