ISTANBUL, August 20. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin earlier in the day that Ankara supports approaches aimed at establishing lasting peace in Ukraine, Turkey’s presidential Directorate of Communications said in a statement on Wednesday.
"President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with President Vladimir Putin of Russia," the statement reads. "The call addressed the outcomes of the Alaska summit as well as the Turkey-Russia bilateral relations, trade in particular."
"Noting that he is closely monitoring the developments with regard to the peace process, President Erdogan pointed to Turkey’s sincere efforts to achieve a just peace since the outbreak of the war, and said that we support approaches that aim to establish lasting peace with the participation of all sides," the statement continued.
The Turkish presidential press office also stated: "Drawing attention to the Istanbul Process, President Putin of Russia thanked President Erdogan for Turkey’s hosting of the peace talks and for his efforts."
The statement added that "During the call, President Erdogan and President Putin agreed on the importance of maintaining dialogue between the two countries."
The Kremlin press service reported in its statement earlier in the day that during the phone call with President Erdogan, Putin noted Ankara’s efforts to facilitate negotiations between Moscow and Kiev.
According to the statement, "The leaders discussed the latest developments around Ukraine. Russia expressed appreciation for Turkey’s role in the Istanbul talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives."
On July 23, the Turkish city of Istanbul hosted the third round of Russia-Ukraine talks on resolving the conflict. Prior to an expanded meeting, the heads of the two countries’ delegations, Vladimir Medinsky and Rustem Umerov, held a bilateral meeting. The expanded talks lasted about 40 minutes, with the parties discussing the positions they had set out in draft memorandums.
At the meeting, the parties agreed to exchange civilians along with service members. Russia invited Ukraine to set up three online working groups to address political, military and humanitarian issues. In addition, Moscow offered to transfer the bodies of another 3,000 Ukrainian troops to Kiev and resume short humanitarian pauses on the frontline in order to collect the wounded and the dead.
A decision on the fourth round of talks will be made after the new agreements are implemented, Medinsky said.