“Your visit today, which you made despite the really complex domestic political situation in Turkey, shows we all want to restart our dialogue and restore our relations”, said Putin, in preliminary remarks before the two men held talks. Key among the plans is a gas pipeline that would connect the two countries, and a nuclear power plant that Russian Federation is to build in Turkey.
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Putin, in his turn, said that the flow of Russian tourists to Turkey, halted after the downing of a Russian jet by Turkey in November, will resume.
On the occasion, the Spokeswoman also condemned the reports of the Turkish press which claimed that the US-based Wilson Center was involved in the Turkish coup.
They were also expected to discuss Syria, a conflict where the two countries find themselves on opposing sides, with Moscow backing President Bashar Al-Assad and Ankara wanting him out of power.
Turkey and Russian Federation are on different sides of the war with Moscow giving military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whom Turkey repeatedly said must leave office.
Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian Su-24 over the Syrian-Turkey border on November 24, 2015, an attack Vladimir Putin described at the time as a “treacherous stab in the back”.
“I hope the plans will be ratified after deliberations”, Putin said.
“We consider the Turkish president as a key ally of the Syrian people”, al-Abda told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. However, the US says it still is reviewing the request.
With its tense relations with United States and the European Union, and the bad economic situation following Russian sanctions, Ankara had to mend its relationship with Moscow, says Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak from Tel Aviv University. Washington has denied that.
After the failed coup attempt in Turkey, Vladimir Putin expressed support for the Turkish leader and condemned the unlawful actions of the military.
At least 18,000 people have been detained or arrested and almost 70,000 others have been purged from the civil service, judiciary, education, health care and the military. Ankara pushed for Assad’s removal, but Moscow has continued to support his government with air strikes.
The state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which has $10 billion of reserved capital under management, said in a statement on Tuesday it expects to sign a joint investment deal with a leading Turkish holding company during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Russia.
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Putin responded in kind, saying that “higher interests of our peoples, our nations require the restoration of our relations”.
