The shooting down of a Russian fighter jet by a Turkish F-16 over the Syrian border previous year saw a furious Mr Putin slap economic sanctions on Turkey and launch a blistering war of words that seemed to irrevocably damage burgeoning ties.
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For his part, Putin is interested in mending the rift with Turkey in the hopes of reviving key economic projects, including a much-touted pipeline to carry natural gas to Turkey, and expanding Russia’s clout in Syria.
Welcoming Erdogan in a Tsarist-era palace just outside his home town, Putin signalled on Tuesday he was ready to improve relations with Turkey, which he said had gone from a historical high point to a very low level.
Shortly after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, said in a joint press conference in St. Petersburg that relations would be even better than before, the State Department was asked what the US position was on this.
Turkish officials have fumed at expressions of concern over the sweeping crackdown from European officials and rights groups, and accused the West of failing to show support for a democratically elected government.
The Russian president categorically condemned the failed military coup.
Your visit. despite a very hard situation regarding domestic politics, indicates that we all want to restart dialogue and restore relations between Russian Federation and Turkey.
This is the first time both leaders have met following the downing of a Russian warplane last November over airspace violation.
Erdogan’s visit to Putin’s hometown of Saint Petersburg was his first foreign trip since the failed coup against him last month that sparked a purge of opponents and cast a shadow over Turkey’s relations with the West. “I want to express the hope that under your leadership the Turkish people will cope with this problem (the coup’s aftermath) and that order and constitutional legality will be restored”.
Mr Erdogan insisted in an interview with Russian media ahead of the talks that Mr Assad must still go – a position opposed by Mr Putin – but said that the conflict could now become the focus for renewed cooperation between the two sides.
Erdogan blames Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who has lived in self-imposed exile in the USA state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his followers for the failed coup. The Turks said the Russian jet had violated their air space; Russia denied the accusation and said Ankara ordered the shooting down of the fighter plane to intimidate Moscow’s forces in Syria.
Denmark’s ruling party said yesterday the EU should end accession negotiations with Turkey completely over Erdogan’s “undemocratic initiatives”, the latest European country to condemn developments in Turkey.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the Bild daily that he was not anxious about Russian Federation and Turkey improving ties.
Putin said the question of resuming Russian charter flights to Turkey, halted under the sanctions, would be solved in the near future.
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“I believe that we have all the necessary prerequisites and opportunities for fully restoring the relations between our two countries which would help strengthen both regional and global stability”, Putin added.
