ISTANBUL, June 18. /TASS/. Ankara and Moscow will continue joint efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said following a two-day visit to Russia.
"Relations between Turkey and Russia, deeply rooted in history, are developing based on the goodwill shown by our president and President Putin, as well as strong economic cooperation and human ties. They are crucial for international security, stability and prosperity. We will continue joint efforts to strengthen cooperation between our countries," he wrote on X.
According to Fidan, during the visit, he took part in numerous meetings in Moscow and Kazan, holding in-depth discussions on bilateral relations. "At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, I passed on messages from our president. We had the opportunity to hear his assessments of regional issues. During our full-fledged consultations with Foreign Minister Lavrov and meetings with Russia’s chief Ukraine negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergey Naryshkin, and head of the Main Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Igor Kostyukov, we discussed the areas where we can develop bilateral cooperation and considered regional issues," the top Turkish diplomat noted.
"As Turkey, we hope that the war between Russia and Ukraine will be settled at the negotiating table. In this regard, we reiterated our readiness to provide comprehensive assistance, including the organization of further talks. In addition, we once again expressed support for efforts aimed at establishing peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus. That said, we believe that the 3+3 regional cooperation platform has significant potential," Fidan stressed.