Erdogan, Putin discuss bilateral, regional issues over phone

ISTANBUL, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed a grain export deal and natural gas cooperation in a phone talk, Türkiye's presidential office said in a statement on Friday.

Praising Putin's proposal to establish a natural gas hub in Türkiye, Erdogan said the Turkish teams would make the necessary technical, legal, and commercial evaluations to reach the common goals as soon as possible, it noted.

Erdogan also thanked Putin for his constructive stance on the extension of an agreement on grain exports from Ukraine.

Erdogan earlier said on Twitter that after four-way talks hosted by Türkiye, the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement is extended for 120 days as of Nov. 19.

The initial deal, signed by Russia and Ukraine separately with Türkiye and the United Nations in late July, aimed to ensure the grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine to global markets during its conflict with Russia.

During the phone talk, the Turkish leader said that "the prolongation of the Russia-Ukraine crisis will increase the risks" in the region, emphasizing the importance of the revival of diplomatic negotiations.

Erdogan also said that the meeting between the Russian and American intelligence heads hosted by Türkiye in its capital Ankara "played a key role in preventing an uncontrolled escalation in the field," according to the statement.