Turkish parliament speaker meets Russian Federation Council chair in Istanbul

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus met with Russian Federation Council Chair Valentina Matviyenko in Istanbul on Friday on the sidelines of the 152nd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), according to official sources.

The meeting focused on Türkiye-Russia relations as well as regional and global developments.

Kurtulmus said Türkiye was pleased to host Matviyenko for the IPU assembly and expressed hope that ongoing contacts and discussions would be productive. He noted that the “sincere and friendly” ties between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have contributed to strong cooperation between the two countries.

He also underlined the role of parliaments in supporting intergovernmental relations and said Ankara does not support unilateral sanctions against Russia, arguing they negatively affect not only politics but also the Russian people.

On regional issues, Kurtulmus said Türkiye attaches importance to Russia’s stance in favor of a two-state solution in Palestine and stressed the need to increase international support to stop Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories.

Matviyenko, for her part, said she had met with Erdogan a day earlier and described their talks as productive, adding that relations between the two countries continue to develop positively through high-level contacts.