Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed the Ukraine crisis and bilateral ties in a phone call on Thursday following the closely contested French elections.
According to a statement by the Communications Directorate, Erdogan highlighted the "great importance" of Turkey-France relations and noted that Ankara continues its efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine crisis through diplomacy.
NATO ally Turkey enjoys good ties with both Ukraine and Russia and has offered to host peace talks at the leaders’ level for a permanent cease-fire. Delegation-level talks, which saw meaningful progress, were held in Istanbul on March 29.
Erdogan underlined the importance of supporting the negotiation process between Kyiv and Moscow.
He also congratulated Macron on his re-election after the leader secured a second term last month, adding that he hopes that the outcome will be beneficial for France.
The phone call marked the first interaction between the two leaders since Macron was re-elected on April 24, fending off a serious challenge from his rival Marine Le Pen.
Erdogan also told Macron that Turkish-French relations were important for Europe's global role, according to the presidency.
