Turkey's Erdogan speaks to Qatari emir, Bulgarian PM

By Nurhan Corlu and Nurettin Coskun

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani spoke on the phone Sunday about last week’s Sochi summit and the Syria crisis, according to a Turkish presidential source.

The leaders also discussed bilateral ties, added the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Last Wednesday, Erdogan met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani in the Black Sea resort city to discuss Syria.

During the meeting, the three leaders agreed to convene a congress of Syrian groups to advance a political solution for the war-torn nation.

Separately, the president also spoke with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, the source added.

Erdogan and Borisov agreed to attend together the reopening of a historical church known as the Iron Church in Istanbul’s European district of Balat on Jan. 7.

The two leaders also discussed Bulgaria’s European Union presidency as well as speeding up Turkey’s EU accession.