Erdoğan’s day trip to St Petersburg is his first foreign visit since the failed coup in Turkey last month and the ensuing purge which has given rise to serious diplomatic tension between Ankara and its Western allies.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a Czarist-era palace outside of St. Petersburg, where the two men agreed to jump start bilateral trade in an effort to boost their economies, both of which are struggling.
Those projects were put on ice with trade between the two countries plunging 43 percent in January-May this year to $6.1 billion, and Turkey’s tourism industry seeing visitor numbers from Russian Federation fall by 93 percent.
Turkey accused Fethullah Gulen, a cleric who lives in Pennsylvania in the U.S. in a self-imposed exile, of backing the coup which the latter denied.
Erdogan’s visit to Moscow is the first worldwide travel since the attempted coup on July 15. Though turkey wants Bashar to put down his reign.
Turkey still wants to see Syrian president Bashar al-Assad removed, however, while Russian Federation continues to provide massive military support to his troops.
On the issue of support for the Turkish government after the failed coup, the statement added: “The NATO Secretary General spoke to the Turkish Foreign Minister on the night of the attempted coup and later with President Erdogan, strongly condemning the attempted coup and reiterating full support for Turkey’s democratic institutions”. Indeed, on July 22 flights from Russian Federation to Turkey resumed.
Mr Cavusoglu said Turkey wanted to establish a “strong mechanism” with Russian Federation to find a solution for Syria, without explaining what this might entail.
“On Syria, we think the same on the issue of a cease-fire, on humanitarian aid and a political solution”, the minister said.
Relations between Turkey and Russian Federation – two powers vying for influence in the strategic Black Sea region and Middle East – have historically not been straightforward.
But he cautioned: “Ahead of us lies painstaking work to resuscitate trade and economic co-operation.
I believe that we shall look for satisfactory joint decisions on this basis, based on this mutual approach”, Putin said.
After the failed coup attempt in Turkey, Vladimir Putin expressed support for the Turkish leader and condemned the unlawful actions of the military.
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The project was shelved following the crisis in November 2015 when a Turkish Air Force warplane shot down a Russian jet over the Turkey-Syria border.
