Your trusted source

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Moscow will continue provide assistance to Ankara in extinguishing forest fires, TASS reported on Saturday, citing the Kremlin press service.

"On July 31, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep [Tayyip] Erdogan. The emergency situation that arose due to forest fires in Turkey’s southern regions was discussed. The importance of cooperation between the two countries in combating that natural disaster was highlighted," the report said.

"Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that Russia would continue to provide comprehensive assistance to Turkey in extinguishing the fires. Recep [Tayyip] Erdogan thanked him for the substantial support that has been provided," the press service added.

The two presidents also discussed in detail pressing issues related to Russian-Turkish multifaceted cooperation. "[They] spoke highly of the results of the meeting of the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission held recently," the report said.

The death toll from wildfires on Turkey's southern coast has risen to four and firefighters were battling blazes for a third day on Friday after the evacuation of dozens of villages and some hotels, Reuters reported.

More than 70 wildfires have broken out this week in provinces on Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coasts as well as inland areas, President Tayyip Erdogan said, adding that 14 were still burning.

Villages and some hotels have been evacuated in tourist areas and television footage has shown people fleeing across fields as fires closed in on their homes.