Turkish President discusses regional, global issues with Latvian leader, Spanish PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed bilateral ties and regional and global issues in separate phone calls on Tuesday with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, according to Türkiye's Presidential Communications Directorate.

In his call with Rinkēvičs, Erdoğan expressed his pleasure at having hosted the Latvian president in Türkiye for the recent NATO summit in Ankara, and voiced hope that the decisions taken at the gathering which he said had clearly demonstrated the spirit of solidarity among allies would prove beneficial. He added that Türkiye attaches great importance to the security of the Baltic region within NATO and is intensifying its contributions to that end.

In a separate call, Erdoğan spoke with Sánchez, congratulating him on Spain's victory at the FIFA World Cup. The two leaders reviewed bilateral relations as well as regional and global developments.
Erdoğan said he had been particularly moved by the celebrations of Spain's triumph among Palestinians in Gaza despite the devastation there, and praised Spain's position on the Palestinian issue, describing it as “conscientious and moral” and saying it had resonated with football fans around the world.

He also expressed satisfaction at having hosted Sánchez during the NATO summit in Ankara and said he looked forward to welcoming the Spanish premier to Türkiye again in early 2027 for the Türkiye-Spain Intergovernmental Summit.

The calls form part of a series of diplomatic contacts by Erdoğan in recent weeks, as Türkiye presses for de-escalation and diplomacy amid tensions in the Middle East and continued efforts to advance peace in Gaza and Ukraine.