Putin and Erdoğan discuss shared interests in Middle East, South Caucasus, and North Africa

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on several regional issues, including the Middle East, North Africa, and the South Caucasus.

“Our focus also includes issues of shared interest, such as the Middle East, North Africa, and the South Caucasus. Russian-Turkish cooperation in all these areas is well-established, concrete, useful, and, I would say, reliable,” Putin said during a meeting with Erdoğan on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

Putin expressed confidence that Turkey will continue to play a special role in the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.

“We are grateful to our Turkish partners for their significant contribution to political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. Since May of this year, three rounds of direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations have already been held in Istanbul, allowing progress on practical humanitarian issues,” Putin added.

Erdoğan, in turn, said he looks forward to Putin’s visit to Turkey, noting that the invitation remains in effect.