Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

© AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, pool

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish leader arrived in Russia to participate in the sixth meeting of the cooperation Council of the highest level between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey.

The agenda of heads of state was listed a wide range of issues, including joint projects in energy and the fight against terrorism.

On political dialogue

  • Russia and Turkey have considerable potential for the development of good neighborly relations, Putin said. The Russian leader noted that it will enable to reach a qualitatively new level of interaction. Putin noted that the two sides support the strengthening of Russian-Turkish cooperation in the spirit of “advanced multifaceted partnership” .
  • Russia and Turkey have managed to overcome all the challenges and provocations of the after the incident with su-24, Erdogan said. According to the President, in the course of the talks between the heads of the two countries Turkey and Russia has fully achieved the normalization of relations. “I believe that we have completed the normalization process as a result of our meeting today and don’t want to pronounce such words as normalization,” added the President.
  • The parties signed a Memorandum of understanding between the Ministries of foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Turkey in the field of training of diplomatic personnel and exchange of information documents.
  • The General Prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of justice of the Turkish Republic signed the Protocol on cooperation.
  • Erdogan invited Putin to Istanbul.

On cooperation in Syria

  • Putin “cautiously optimistic” about the prospects of a settlement in Syria.
  • The truce is generally followed, significantly decreased the level of violence, stated Russian leader, noting that the situation “remains very complex and many factors of uncertainty, a lot of contradictions in the region and in the country.”
  • In turn, Erdogan said the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq is the main task. “We can’t have patience for the division of these territories”, – said the President of Turkey.
  • The Russian President commended the Russian and Turkish security forces, the level of engagement in Syria. Russian power structures are interested in the exchange with their Turkish colleagues with information on individuals involved in terrorism. The Russian President noted that military-technical cooperation between the two countries and contacts between defense ministries are of great importance.

On economic relations

  • Russia and Turkey agreed on a programme for trade and economic cooperation until 2020. The parties will explore joint participation in investment projects through public-private partnerships.
  • To encourage mutual investment created by the Russian-Turkish investment Fund with capital up to $1 billion in the First transaction will take place in the first quarter of 2017 in the field of agriculture. The Fund also will be engaged in crediting of joint projects in the priority sectors.
  • The Russian President called the two countries ‘ cooperation in the energy sector “strategic”. Turkey takes the second place on volumes of purchases of gas from Russia, the President also pointed to good prospects for the deepening of industrial cooperation in metallurgy, automobile industry, manufacturing of agricultural machinery.
  • The negative dynamics of a decline in trade with Turkey could be overcome this year, said the Russian leader.
  • Putin hopes that the NPP “Akkuyu” will be assigned the status of a strategic investment.
  • The project “Turkish stream” will increase the transit potential of Turkey, said the Russian leader.
  • The presidents discussed the expansion of settlements in national currencies. Platform of Turkish subsidiaries of Sberbank and DenizBank might be used for maintenance of the card “the World” in Turkey.
  • The ban on recruitment of workers from Turkey will be removed soon. The timing of the lifting of the ban Putin has called a “purely technical”.
  • Turkey is interested in supplies of Russian aircraft MS-21. “We need to attract Turkish Industrialists to supply MS-21 aircraft, which are produced in Russia,” – said Erdogan.
  • TASS and Anadolu Agency signed a cooperation agreement. This agreement concerns the interaction between TASS and the Turkish Agency in the exchange of textual information, photographs. In addition, it will allow to expand cooperation in the sphere of exchange of experience.
  • The Federal service for intellectual property of Russian Federation and Turkish patent and trademark office has signed a Memorandum of understanding.
  • A similar document was signed by Russian public organization of small and medium entrepreneurship “OPORA Russia” and Agency for the development and support of enterprises of small and medium business of Turkey.

About the development of tourism

  • Putin and Erdogan instructed the relevant departments to improve the safety of Russian tourists in Turkey. In turn, Erdogan said that further efforts were needed to introduce visa-free regime between Russia and Turkey.
  • Putin said that “to work in the Kremlin” had a rest in Turkey and kept the good memories. “I am in Turkey rested many times, when he’s never worked here in the Kremlin, and I stay the kind and good feelings and left good memories,” he said.
  • In 2019 it is planned to hold the bilateral year of culture and tourism of the two countries.