Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his "dear friend" Recep Tayyip Erdogan on declaring victory in Turkey's presidential election, saying the victory was proof that the Turkish people valued Erdogan's independent foreign policy.
"Victory in the elections was a natural result of your selfless work as the head of the Republic of Turkey, a clear proof of the Turkish people's support for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and conduct an independent foreign policy," Putin said in a message to Erdogan, the Kremlin said.
"We highly appreciate your personal contribution to strengthening friendly Russian-Turkish relations and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields," Putin said, as reported by Reuters.
Putin has said he attaches great importance to joint projects such as Turkey's Akuyu nuclear power plant, which is being built by Russian state energy group Rosatom, and a gas hub that Putin has proposed to be built in Turkey.
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