Putin, Erdogan discuss coronavirus, Syria, bilateral cooperation over phone

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation on Tuesday, discussing issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, the Syrian settlement and the bilateral cooperation, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"The readiness was expressed to strengthen joint efforts in the fight against COVID-19, including through the ministries of health and other relevant organizations," it said, adding that they agreed to continue close coordination in order to ensure the return of Russian and Turkish citizens.

According to the statement, a substantive exchange of views continued on the Syrian settlement, including the implementation of the agreements on the Idlib de-escalation zone, primarily the March 5 additional protocol to the Sochi memorandum of Sept. 17, 2018.

"The need for unconditional compliance with the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic was reaffirmed," the statement said.

In addition, topical issues of Russian-Turkish cooperation were touched upon, primarily in the sphere of trade and economy, including joint projects in the nuclear energy sector and plans to promote agricultural and transport cooperation.