MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the progress of their countries' economic ties and also the state of affairs in Ukraine.
The Kremlin reported on Monday that the two leaders "focused on tasks to further strengthen economic cooperation, including measures to improve the contractual legal environment, stimulate trade, and use national currencies in transactions, as well as to secure continued supplies of Russian energy."
The co-chairs of the bilateral intergovernmental commission and the heads of pertinent agencies will have close contact in these areas, according to the statement.
Putin and Erdogan also discussed how to coordinate their efforts to secure safe Black Sea shipping and the shipment of grain to international markets. They also discussed the situation in Ukraine.
Turkey's presidential office said that it is time for the UN "to take action for the proposal on the formation of secure corridors through the Black Sea for the export of grain." Turkey is prepared "to provide all types of help for the restart of the negotiating process" between Russia and Ukraine, the official added.
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