ANKARA, March 18. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has congratulated Vladimir Putin on his victory in the Russian presidential election and said that his country is ready to play a mediatory role in the settlement of the crisis around Ukraine, the office of the Turkish leader said after their phone call.
"Our President Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the conversation, Erdogan congratulated the Russian president on winning the election. Erdogan said that he believes that the positive trend in the Turkish-Russian relations will continue. He stressed that Turkey is ready to play any mediatory role in returning to the negotiating table in the context of the conflict on Ukraine," it said.