“Opening a very different page:” What comes out of the meeting between Erdogan and Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he looked forward to signing a deal to strengthen economic cooperation with Turkey, welcoming his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Sochi in southern Russia. “I hope we can sign a memorandum today to strengthen our economic and trade ties,” Putin said at the start of the meeting with Erdogan, broadcast on Russian television.

The Master of the Kremlin thanked the Turkish President for his efforts that made it possible to conclude an agreement between Moscow and Ukraine on the delivery of Ukrainian grain from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. “Thanks to your direct participation and the mediation of the UN Secretariat, the problem relating to Ukrainian grain delivery from the Black Sea ports has been resolved. Delivery has already started, and I would like to thank you for this,” he Told.

He also outlined Ankara’s role in transporting Russian gas to Europe via the Turkstream gas pipeline. “European partners should be grateful to Turkey for ensuring uninterrupted transit of Russian gas,” Putin said.

A new “page” in Turkey-Russia relations

For his part, Mr. Erdogan said he hoped that his meeting with Mr. Putin would “open a very different page in relations” between Russia and Turkey, adding that delegations from both countries had “very productive” discussions. of, especially on business. and tourism.

The Turkish president also said he would like to talk with his Russian counterpart about Syria, where Ankara threatens to launch a military operation against Kurdish groups, which he describes as “terrorists”. , which Moscow opposes.

“This opportunity to discuss developments in Syria will help to defuse the region. Our solidarity in the fight against terrorism is very important,” Erdogan said.

Turkey’s head of state also said that he wanted to ensure that the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant by Russian nuclear giant Rosatom in southern Turkey would honor a “fixed schedule”, while a litigation expected the mega to be delayed. Chances are. -Project.