ALBAWABA - Despite geopolitical challenges, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated an interest to strengthen commercial relations with Russia, according to AFP citing the Turkish presidency.
In a recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan stressed Turkey's commitment to boosting cooperation across a range of industries, particularly through boosting the volume of bilateral commerce.
In a public statement, the Turkish presidency said that “President Erdogan has stated that he aims to increase cooperation between Turkey and Russia in several directions, including the expansion of trade volume.”
While speaking on Sunday, Erdogan and his Russian counterpart discussed regional and global issues while emphasizing that Turkey continues to take steps in mitigating regional tensions and stressing that his nation would continue to support peace initiatives, Anadolu Agency reports from the Turkish Communications Directorate.
Amid the continued war between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey continues to attempt to keep its foreign policy in a careful balance. Turkey so far has refused to back Western sanctions against Russia although it condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Erdogan backed this stance by pointing out that Turkey depends on Russian oil and gas, which are critically important for the country to meet its energy needs.
Earlier in September 2023, five Turkish businesses were sanctioned by the United States for allegedly supplying Russian military corporations with equipment and services following a warning from the U.S. Treasury Department in 2022 about the perils of aiding Russia's attempts to evade international sanctions.
