Putin, Erdogan discuss ties, regional issues over phone

ANKARA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday ahead of the inauguration ceremony of Türkiye's first nuclear power reactor built by Russia.

Türkiye-Russia relations and regional issues were discussed during the phone talk, Erdogan's office said in a statement.

The Turkish president thanked Putin for his contributions to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, where a ceremony for its first nuclear fuel delivery will be held on Thursday, the statement said.

The two leaders discussed the developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the work on the grain agreement, the statement said, adding that Erdogan and Putin talked about new "initiatives that could be worked on through the proposed working group."

They also discussed the developments in Syria, Erdogan's office said.

Putin also conveyed his best wishes to Erdogan for a speedy recovery after his stomach bug, according to Erdogan's office.