Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg have held a phone conversation over regional developments, particularly tensions between Russia and Ukraine, said Turkey's presidency.
The phone talk comes amid NATO member Turkey's mediation efforts to defuse tensions between Ukraine and Russia. Turkey acts in a "logic of calming the tensions," Erdogan told the NATO Chief on Monday, according to a presidential statement.
Stressing that the crisis should end in peaceful and diplomatic ways based on Ukraine's territorial integrity and international law within the framework of the Minsk Agreements, the Turkish President said he had told his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on several occasions that Turkey would like to host a summit at the leadership level or talks at the technical level, Xinhua news agency reported.
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Stoltenberg tweeted that he exchanged views with Erdogan on "Russia's buildup in and around Ukraine." "I thanked him for his active support and personal engagement to find a political solution, and welcomed Turkey's strong practical support to Ukraine," he said, adding NATO remains ready for dialogue. Last week, the Turkish Ptresident held talks with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev where he proposed to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.
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