MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. The friendship between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin has played a major role in building strong ties between Ankara and Moscow, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Tanju Bilgic said at a Republic Day event.

"Turkey and Russia currently cooperate actively on many issues, both bilaterally and in multilateral forums, and are carrying out major joint projects. Undoubtedly, much of the credit for the strength of relations between Turkey and Russia goes to the personal friendship between our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin," the ambassador said.

Mutual respect and a spirit of cooperation, underpinned by the firm political will of the two leaders, form the foundation of bilateral relations, he said. "This enables close, sincere exchanges and cooperation across all areas," he added.