Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said during a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he wants to increase trade between the countries.
“President Erdogan announced that he aims to increase cooperation between Turkey and Russia in a number of areas,” the Turkish presidential office said in a statement, adding that it wants to increase trade volumes.
After condemning Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has since taken a neutral stance in the war. The country has not imposed sanctions against Russia similar to those imposed by the West.
Erdogan has justified the stance with the fact that the country is dependent on Russian oil and gas.
Last fall, the United States imposed sanctions on five Turkish companies for supplying products and services to Russian defense companies.