Turkey says Putin’s visit will further deepen bilateral cooperation

ANKARA

AP photo

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Turkey on Oct. 10 will “accelerate” bilateral cooperation, the office of the Turkish Presidency has stated.Putin will be in Istanbul to attend the 23rd World Energy Congress upon the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the statement noted, adding that on the sidelines of the congress the two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting with the participation of relevant ministers.“It is expected that this visit, which comes as a follow-up to the two leaders’ earlier meetings in St. Petersburg on Aug. 9 and in Hangzhou [China] on Sept. 3 on the sidelines of the G20, will contribute to further improving our cooperation and to accelerating normalization process between Turkey and Russia,” read the statement.The two leaders will discuss bilateral relations and regional issues, it added.Putin’s visit comes after efforts by Washington and Moscow to secure a cessation of hostilities in Syria have been futile, as the Syrian regime continues to bomb civilians in and around Aleppo. Turkey has expressed its intention for the re-launching of a process to bring about a ceasefire in Syria, with Erdoğan and Putin discussing Syria over the phone late on Oct. 5.In Istanbul, the two leaders are also expected to discuss ongoing energy cooperation, with a special emphasis on the realization of the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline project that will transfer Russian gas to Europe via Turkey.