Erdoğan, Putin discuss Syria, Ukraine issues in phone call

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed over phone developments in Syria and Ukraine war, the Turkish Communications Directorate said on Monday.

Erdoğan told Putin that it was time to act on a United Nations plan to set up a sea corridor for Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea.

The call comes at a time of record food prices globally, as conflict in Ukraine, the world's largest grain supplier, has fuelled concerns about food security.

ERDOGAN URGES PUTIN TO KEEP SYRIA AID CROSSING OPEN

Erdoğan urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to extend the authorisation for cross-border deliveries of humanitarian aid into war-ravaged Syria.

"Erdoğan emphasised that he attaches importance to the extension of the cross-border mechanism in Syria," his office said in a statement issued after telephone talks held during last-ditched discussions on the crossing at the United Nations.

RUSSIAN-TURKISH SUMMIT

The Kremlin, for its part, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call where they discussed coordinating efforts on exporting grain and the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, the Kremlin said on Monday.

It said the talks took place in the run-up to a Russian-Turkish summit scheduled for the near future.