Turkish and Russian presidents discuss bilateral cooperation

Presidents of Turkey and Russia discussed in a phone call on Sunday issues of bilateral cooperation in trade, energy and military intervention in Syria, according to reports.

Ankara and Moscow can start working on the export of different food products and gradually other commodities through the grain corridor, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart, Turkish state news agency AA said.

While Erdogan stated that "it is important to clear Turkey's Syrian border of terrorists up to a depth of at least 30 km under the 2019 Sochi deal," he also expressed his wishes to Russian President Vladimir Putin for an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war "as soon as possible."

The two presidents have discussed a record growth of trade turnover and energy projects of the two countries, the grain deal and a "settlement" in Syria, Russian news agency TASS said.

In the light of the results of the recent talks of Gazprom Chairman Aleksey Miller in Istanbul, views on an initiative of creating a regional gas hub in Turkish territory were exchanged.

Putin and Erdogan also discussed the situation in Syria in the context of the provisions of the Russian-Turkish memorandum of understanding signed in 2019.

"The defense and foreign ministries of the two countries will support close ties in this respect," TASS added, citing a statement by Kremlin.