On his first foreign visit after Turkey’s failed coup, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for inviting him for talks Tuesday aimed at repairing ties shattered by Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane along the Syrian border past year.
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British Prime Minister Theresa May hosts a round table for small business representatives at 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday Aug. 4, 2016.
“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, addressing Erdogan.
It noted that May confirmed Britain’s intention to participate in ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first British WWII convoy in the Russian city Arkhangelsk this month.
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.
Mr Putin added that he and Mr Erdogan will have a separate discussion on Syria later on Tuesday involving top military and intelligence officials to search for common ground in the crisis, where Moscow and Ankara have backed the opposing sides.
The New York Times used the headline, Putin and Erdogan, Both Isolated, Reach Out to Each Other, while claiming both leaders wanted to publicly “display” to the West that their ties have not left them isolated. Russia promptly cut ties with Turkey over the incident, banned Turkish vegetables, restricted Russian tourists’ access to Turkey and blocked some Turkish companies from working on the Russian market.
“It is good that after the shooting down of the Russian fighter jet by Turkey past year, there is a rapprochement”, he said. He also called Putin a “friend”. Russia, which is conducting a bombing campaign in support of Mr Erdogan’s foe President Bashar al-Assad, transformed the balance of the Syrian civil war last September by intervening militarily, to Turkey’s consternation.
Turkey warned the United States on Tuesday not to sacrifice bilateral ties over Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the failed coup and wants to see extradited to face trial.
The Russian president also said despite the tumultuous times of Turkey’s internal politics, Erdogan’s visit was “a sign of normalizing ties”. Gulen has repeatedly denied any involvement.
The Russian president categorically condemned the failed military coup.
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Mr Putin, one of the first foreign leaders to phone Mr Erdogan offering support after the coup attempt, shares none of the scruples of European Union leaders about the ensuing crackdown.
