Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday during his visit to Turkmenistan on the occasion of the International Forum on Peace and Trust, held in the country’s capital Ashgabat. The meeting, which addressed the conflict in Ukraine, coincided with the UN General Assembly’s designation of 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust, as well as the 30th anniversary of the Central Asian country’s permanent neutrality.
Erdoğan, who attended the forum’s sessions on 11 and 12 December, held the bilateral conversation with Putin at his hotel after attending the forum’s official activities. The Turkish delegation to Turkmenistan included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Head of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Head of the National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) İbrahim Kalın, Turkish Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, Senior Foreign Policy and Security Advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç and AKP party Vice-President Halit Yerebakan, according to Turkish media reports.
According to the Turkish Presidency Office on the social network X, Erdoğan held separate individual meetings not only with Putin, but also with Pakistan‘s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhammedov. Before the so-called ‘family photo’, the Turkish president also spoke briefly with Iran‘s President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Russia welcomes Turkish mediation in Ukraine war
In a statement following the meeting between Erdoğan and Putin, the Kremlin said the two leaders had a detailed exchange of views on the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, further stated that “the multifaceted nature and diversity of Russian-Turkish relations make it possible to cope with pressure from third countries and challenges on the international stage”. “The Turkish president spoke of Türkiye’s readiness and willingness to continue its mediation activities and contribute to the peace process, which our country appreciates,” Peskov added.
Moments earlier, during his address to the forum in Turkmenistan, Erdoğan stressed the need to strengthen the global dialogue for peace in a context of growing global uncertainties. In relation to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Turkish leader expressed his hope for an early resolution and reiterated Ankara’s support for any diplomatic initiative to promote a ceasefire and a peace process, especially through the so-called Istanbul Process.
Earlier on Friday, Erdoğan also took part in a wreath laying ceremony at Turkmenistan‘s Neutrality Monument, an event attended by several heads of state – including Putin himself – and international representatives who had travelled to Ashgabat to attend the forum.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
