Putin, Erdogan discuss Syrian issue, Russia-Turkey ties
By Gunay Hasanova
The upcoming meeting between Presidents Erdogan and Putin is expected to have a broad agenda taking into account the current complex situation regarding the Syrian conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed in a phone call on October 5 the Syrian crisis and the prospects of improving Russia-Turkey ties, the Kremlin press service said.
"The sides emphasized the need to step up international efforts aimed at facilitating peaceful political process in Syria, as well as creating favorable conditions…for resolving urgent humanitarian issues in the country," the press service said in a statement.
Putin and Erdogan last met on September 3 in China's southeastern city of Hangzhou on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies.
Shortly after those talks, Russian and Turkish defense officials reached an agreement for closer military cooperation in Syria.
Moreover, Putin and Erdogan confirmed their upcoming meeting at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul and reaffirmed mutual desire to restore bilateral economic ties as well as to implement the Turkish Stream and the Akkuyu NPP construction projects.
Relations between Turkey and Russia broke down for about seven-months after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November 2015.
But relations have improved since the August meeting of the two presidents. The visit of Erdogan marked a first since last November when the crisis in relations between the countries started and is also Erdogan’s first foreign visit after a failed coup attempt in Turkey.
Vladimir Putin, earlier, stressed that Russia and Turkey intend to hold a meeting of a strategic planning group in the first half of 2017, and noted that the countries have all opportunities to restore and strengthen full-length relations.
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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova
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