Erdoğan offers condolences to Putin over Dagestan attack in phone call

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered his condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the weekend attacks on churches and synagogues in Russia's mainly Muslim region of Dagestan in a phone call on Tuesday, the Turkish presidency said.

Türkiye will continue its efforts to end all conflicts in the region, Erdoğan also told Putin in the call, the presidency said in a post on social media platform X.

"In the phone call, President Erdogan stated that Türkiye is against all forms of terrorism and strongly condemns the attacks," said Türkiye's Communications Directorate on X.

"He expressed condolences to the Russian people for those who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery for the injured," it added.

The death toll in terrorist attacks in Russia's Dagestan region rose to 21-made up of 16 police officers and five civilians, including a priest-after another policeman died in the hospital Monday night, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The assailants on Sunday attacked Orthodox churches, synagogues, and a traffic police post in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala in Dagestan.

A Russian Guard Corps serviceman, Ramazan Atziev, a first responder at the Holy Dormition Cathedral in the city of Makhachkala, was also killed in the assault.