Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone conversation on the occasion of the Turkish leader’s 70th birthday, TASS reports citing the Turkish presidential administration.

"Our president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held a telephone conversation with the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin," the administration stated. "In the course of the conversation, the president of Russia congratulated President Erdogan on his birthday. Putin thanked our president for his contribution to the development of friendly Turkish-Russian relations."

The Russian and Turkish leaders previously held a telephone conversation in October 2023. During that conversation, the presidents focused on developments in the Middle East, particularly the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the region.

Erdogan, who has served as president of Turkey since August 2014, is celebrating his 70th birthday on Monday and, according to previous reports, no special celebrations have been planned to mark the occasion.