Putin: Russia and Turkey are cooperating quite successfully in the international arena

Baku/29.09.21/Turan: Russia and Turkey are cooperating quite successfully in the international arena, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday in Sochi, reported  Anadolu Agency.

“In the international arena, we cooperate [with Turkey] quite successfully. I mean both Syria and our contacts to coordinate positions on Libya,” the Russian leader said. Putin also drew attention to the situation in the South Caucasus.

According to Putin, a Russian-Turkish ceasefire control center is active [in Azerbaijan's Aghdam]. This cooperation is a serious guarantee of stability and steps towards reconciliation, the Russian leader said. Putin drew attention to the economic interaction between Russia and Turkey. He said that Russia and Turkey not only compensated for the loss of trade due to the coronavirus pandemic, but also increased it.

The head of state noted that the volume of trade between the Russian Federation and Turkey in the first 9 months of 2021 increased by 50 percent. “The volume of Turkey's investments in the Russian Federation is $ 1.5 billion, and Russian investments in the Turkish economy have reached $ 6.5 billion. All projects are continuing as planned,” Putin said.

The President of Russia pointed out that the departments of the Russian Federation and Turkey have learned to find compromises that are beneficial to both countries, although the negotiations are sometimes not easy. The Russian leader thanked the Turkish head of state for his position on the construction of the Turkish Stream.

Erdogan expressed confidence that the continuation and strengthening of Turkish-Russian ties is associated with great benefits. He drew attention to the successful implementation of joint economic projects, as well as the interaction of the two countries on the international plane.

According to him, the joint steps of Ankara and Moscow are of great importance for Syria as well. "Peace in Syria depends on Turkish-Russian ties," the Turkish President stressed. The Turkish leader also touched upon the topics of cooperation between Ankara and Moscow in the defense sphere.

The Turkish President said that during his recent visit to New York for the UN General Assembly, a number of issues were raised before the Turkish side. “We gave the opponents the necessary answers - we brought to their attention that we are not going to back down from the decisions made,” the Turkish leader said.

Erdogan further said that the first power unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the Mersin province in southern Turkey could be opened in 2022.

“Active work continues. The construction of the first nuclear power plant in Turkey employs 13 thousand people, 10 thousand of whom are citizens of Turkey. At the same time, almost all specialists were trained in Russian universities. It also contributes to strengthening our ties,”  he said.

The President of Turkey thanked Russia for its contribution to the fight against forest fires, and also touched upon the topic of Syria, Anadolu reported.—0--