President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday met his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China.
The meeting focused on bilateral relations, and regional and international issues.
During the meeting, Erdoğan stated that relations between Türkiye and Russia continue to progress based on mutual respect and common interests, and that the spirit of cooperation inherited from the past continues in areas such as trade, tourism, investments, and energy.
The Turkish president, on the other hand, discussed with Putin Israel's continuing attacks on Gaza as well as the need for development in Syria through preserving its territorial unity.
Erdoğan also reiterated an invitation for Putin to visit Türkiye.
Erdoğan said that Türkiye's efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine are ongoing and that the Istanbul negotiations have contributed to the process.
Putin, for his part, said: "We see Türkiye as a reliable and proven partner both in bilateral relations and in the international arena.”
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the long-awaited peace talks with Putin could take place in Switzerland, Austria or Türkiye once Kyiv receives security guarantees.
Türkiye has been the scene of the Istanbul talks, which brought together the delegations of the warring sides.
Ankara is keen on boosting its international profile as a key mediator and utilizes Istanbul’s symbolic location to promote diplomacy between the parties involved in conflicts and disagreements on a global level.
NATO member Türkiye is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of maintaining friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has garnered widespread praise for its efforts to end the war.
While Ankara has opposed international sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow, it has also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
