The talks began amicably, with both leaders expressing their intention to work toward mending the cracked relationships.
Advertisement
Putin said on Tuesday Moscow would gradually phase out sanctions against Ankara, imposed after the Turks shot down a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border nine months ago, and that bringing ties to their pre-crisis level was the priority.
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.
Putin responded by ordering his government to start rebuilding ties with Turkey, and when Erdogan faced the botched coup attempt on July 15 the Russian leader quickly offered his support. “Turkey’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation membership is not in question”, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a statement.
In the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation statement, Lungescu recalled that alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg had telephoned Erdogan in the immediate aftermath of the putsch “strongly condemning the attempted coup and reiterating full support for Turkey’s democratic institutions”. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. “We worked very hard to have good relations with Europe for 15 years”, Cavusoglu said, as he blasted the European Union for having “encouraged the putschists”.
She condemned claims in the Turkish press that the Wilson Center, a United States academic institution, was involved in the coup. Turkey’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation membership is not in question. While Moscow has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nation’s civil war and further bolstered that support by launching an air campaign last September, Turkey has pushed for Assad’s removal.
“We have always regarded our relations with Russian Federation as complementary not as an alternative (to the West)”, Cavusoglu said.
“We are not improving ties with Russian Federation to send a message to the West”, Cavusoglu told Anadolu. “If the West loses Turkey one day, it will not be because of Turkey’s relations with Russia, China, or the Islamic world, but rather because of themselves”.
Advertisement
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – A delegation of Turkish foreign ministry, military and intelligence officials is traveling to Russian Federation for discussions on finding a solution to the Syria conflict, Turkey’s foreign minister said Wednesday.
