Moscow
Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in a phone call on Saturday discussed the urgent need to combat terrorism and drug trafficking in Afghanistan and agreed to cooperate on the issue, the Kremlin reported. “The sides discussed in detail the situation in Afghanistan.
They emphasized the importance of ensuring stability and peace in the country, strict observance of order and the rule of law. They also stressed that the priority should be given to the tasks of combating terrorism and drug trafficking.
The presidents then agreed to strengthen bilateral coordination on Afghan issues,” the statement said.
The two leaders further talked about trade and economic cooperation, primarily in the energy sector.
The two presidents also exchanged condolences over the crash of the Be-200 firefighter plane in Turkey.
“The presidents exchanged condolences over the August 14 crash of the Be-200ES aircraft of the Russian Defense Ministry, on board of which there were both Russian and Turkish citizens.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked about the significant contribution of Russian pilots to the fight against forest fires in the country and expressed sincere gratitude for the assistance provided,” the statement said.
The two presidents also agreed on further personal contacts, the Kremlin noted.
On August 14, a Russian Be-200 firefighter aircraft crashed during landing after returning from a fire extinguishing mission in the vicinity of the city of Kahramanmaras in Turkey.
There were five Russian and three Turkish crew members on board. None of them survived.—APP
