Turkish president holds phone calls with Afghan, Iranian, Togolese leaders

ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held separate phone calls late Wednesday with the presidents of Afghanistan, Iran and Togo, discussing regional issues and bilateral relations with each of them.

Erdogan in a phone conversation thanked Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who conveyed his wishes for Turkey’s recovery from recent forest fires.

He said Turkey will continue to stand by the friendly and brotherly Afghan people so that Afghanistan can achieve the peace and stability it deserves as soon as possible.

Violence has escalated across Afghanistan as US-led foreign forces have almost withdrawn following 20 years of military operations.

The Taliban have rapidly captured several smaller administrative districts and are now targeting towns and cities. They have captured nine provincial centers from government forces in six days.

Erdogan in a later phone call congratulated Iran's newly-elected President Ebrahim Raeisi on his inauguration and said he believes that relations between Turkey and Iran and regional cooperation will become stronger in every field in the new term.

Top Iranian conservative and former judiciary chief Raeisi was sworn in as the country's new president last week.

Erdogan said in a phone call with Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe that cooperation between the two nations in the defense industry field will have a multiplier effect in enhancing bilateral ties.