The presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had a phone conversation yesterday (5 May), touching upon issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement amongst other things. The leaders reportedly discussed the work of the joint ceasefire monitoring centre in Agdam and the ending of all military operations in the conflict zone.
Addressing other regional issues, the leaders discussed their roles in the stabilisation of Syria, including the promotion of an intra-Syrian dialogue. They also discussed situation in Libya, agreeing to support the government of national unity with due consideration for the main political forces in the region.
In addition, the presidents discussed co-operation against the COVID-19 pandemic. Russia’s willingness to take practical steps to counter the spread of the infection in Turkey was noted, and the leaders discussed the delivery of Russia's Sputnik V vaccines to Turkey starting from this month. They also discussed the prospect of the joint production of the Russian vaccine in Turkey. The leaders acknowledged that the measures taken to fight the pandemic will improve the situation to make it possible to resume bilateral ties in tourism.