Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan looked to rebuild ties as they met yesterday – for the first time since Ankara downed one of Moscow’s warplanes last November – in a reconciliation that has gained in significance since a section of Turkey’s military attempted a takeover.
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“The normalization of the relations will definitely contribute to the promotion of the peace and stability in the region [Middle East], because Turkey and Russian Federation are two important players in the region”. The two agreed to meet later to seek common ground over how to resolve the crisis in Syria.
Putin said he and Erdogan would have a separate discussion on Syria later Tuesday involving top diplomats and intelligence officials. He also called Putin a “friend”.
Cooperation would be increased on projects including a planned $20 billion gas pipeline and a nuclear power plant to be built in Turkey by the Russians, Erdogan said, as well as between their two defense sectors.
Erdogan said that Turkey was entering a “very different period” in relations with Russian Federation, and that solidarity between the two countries would help the resolution of regional problems.
Erdogan, on the other hand, said the relation between Russian Federation and Turkey would become “more robust” and stressed Putin’s support for him after the coup attempt in which almost 300 people were killed.
Erdogan emphasized that pledge of support, saying “it was very important for us psychologically. It offered us moral support and showed Russia’s solidarity with Turkey”.
The Kremlin says Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has spoken to British Prime Minister Theresa May for the first time since she took office.
Moscow has accused the Turkish government of turning a blind eye to the flow of weapons and supplies to the Islamic State group and other extremists in Syria. In Moscow, he also implied that Gulenists in the military may have been responsible for the downing of the Russian jet a year ago, telling a Turkish-Russian business council that they had “clearly taken aim at ties between our countries”, although he stopped short of blaming them outright.
Putin said the question of resuming Russian charter flights to Turkey, halted under the sanctions, would be solved in the near future. Turkey also sought Gulen’s extradition but the U.S. demanded clear evidence.
In the latest sign of rocky relations with the West, Turkey’s justice minister on Tuesday warned that the United States will “sacrifice relations” unless it extradites Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankarafor the failed coup.
Turning to the coup attempt, Cavusoglu said Turkey had no intelligence on the possibility of Gulen fleeing to another country such as Egypt in the face of a potential USA extradition.
In Washington, the State Department criticized charges in the Turkish media that a Washington think tank had been behind the coup attempt. President Barack Obama’s administration has strongly denied that.
More than 270 people died during the failed coup attempt. He didn’t touch on Ankara’s demand for Gulen’s extradition.
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Since July 15, tens of thousands of people from the military, judiciary, civil service and education suspected of links with the movement have been sacked or detained. Ankara also lashed out at the EU for failing to uphold its end of an EU-Turkey agreement on migration. But plans to ease visa rules have run into trouble and Erdogan accused the European Union earlier this month of failing to deliver the promised funds. Earlier this week, Erdogan praised the upcoming talks as a “new beginning” for relations between the two nations and an opportunity to strengthen economic ties.
