Turkish, Russian leaders agree to boost coordination on Afghanistan

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – The presidents of Turkey and Russia discussed the situation in Afghanistan in a phone call on Saturday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin agreed to “strengthen bilateral coordination on the Afghan issue,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

They stressed the importance of ensuring stability, peace, and order in the country, it added.

Both leaders agreed that efforts to combat terrorism and drug trafficking must be a top priority, read the statement.

Erdogan and Putin also spoke about bilateral relations, including trade and economic cooperation, and collaboration in the energy sector, the Kremlin said.

They also exchanged condolences over last week’s crash of a Russian firefighting plane in Turkey, in which three Turkish and five Russian servicemen were killed, it added.