Putin congratulates Erdoğan over referendum win
Russian President Vladimir
Putin congratulated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 18 for winning the April 16 referendum
on constitutional amendments, the Kremlin and Turkish state media said.
Putin telephoned Erdoğan to congratulate him over the win of
the “yes” side in the referendum, state-run Anadolu Agency said, quoting
presidential sources.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin congratulated
Erdoğan for the “successful carrying out” of the referendum.
On April 17, U.S. President Donald Trump also congratulated
Erdoğan for his victory in the poll, which has been disputed by the opposition
and has been greeted coolly by the European Union.
According to Anadolu Agency, Putin and Erdoğan emphasized the
importance of normalizing ties, which are still recovering after a Turkish jet
shot down a Russian war plane over the Syrian border in 2015.
The two leaders also noted the importance of maintaining a
cease-fire in Syria jointly brokered by Ankara and Moscow, it added.
The Kremlin said the cease-fire needed to be reinforced as
well as the twin talks processes based in Astana and Geneva.
Both sides also emphasized the importance of an “unpartisan”
investigation into the suspected chemical attack in Syria earlier this month,
the Kremlin said.
Ankara has said the deadly nerve agent sarin was used by the
regime of President Bashar al-Assad, an opinion not shared by Russia.
Some analysts are predicting Ankara will move closer toward Moscow after the
referendum as increased strains emerge in its relations with the European Union.