"The Istanbul platform is becoming the central location for talks on a range of issues, including the Black Sea initiative, the grain deal, and now Russian-Ukrainian negotiations," Shoigu said during a meeting with Secretary-General of the Turkish National Security Council Okay Memis, News.Az reports, citing TASS.
Shoigu expressed gratitude to the Turkish government for hosting the talks in Istanbul. "We recognize the significant efforts made by Ankara, particularly in ensuring security and creating favorable conditions for the delegations’ work," he added.
He thanked Memis for his participation in the international meeting of high-ranking representatives in charge of security issues, specifying that this was his first visit to Moscow.
According to Shoigu, the effectiveness of bilateral interaction "is largely determined by the intensive trusting dialogue between the leaders of the two countries, with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Turkish leader Recep Tayyip] Erdogan regularly speaking over the phone." The Russian Security Council secretary also recalled that "another comprehensive conversation between the leaders took place on May 11."
