At the beginning of his meeting with Putin in the Russian city of Sochi, Erdogan expressed his happiness to meet the Russian president again 17 days after their meeting in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and described his bilateral meeting with Putin as “very important in terms of highlighting the role that Turkey plays Russia in the region.
The Turkish president added, “I am confident that our discussions with Putin on developments in Syria will bring an atmosphere of comfort to the region,” stressing that “the two countries’ solidarity in the fight against terrorism is of great importance, and that the discussions that will take place will support the steps that will be taken in this regard.”
He stated that the talks held by the delegations of the two countries in Turkey “was fruitful,” adding: “They discussed many issues in the fields of politics, economy and trade, and I am confident that it will open a very different page for Turkish-Russian relations.”
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters after the bilateral meeting between Putin and Erdogan that they had agreed that Turkey would start paying part of the Russian gas import funds in rubles. .
He added: “We are talking about the transition to national currencies, and in the first stage, part of the supplies will be paid in Russian rubles, and this is really a new stage, new opportunities, including for the development of our monetary and financial relations.”
He added that Putin and Erdogan had reached agreements on the establishment of a financial banking bloc “to enable commercial companies and Russian citizens to pay money during tourist trips,” and they also agreed to cooperate against “terrorist” organizations in Syria, according to a joint statement published by the Kremlin.
They also stressed the “importance of preserving Syria’s political unity and territorial integrity,” according to the statement.
“On regional issues, Putin and Erdogan stressed the fundamental importance of honest, frank and close relations between Russia and Turkey for achieving regional and international stability,” the Kremlin said.
The Russian president and his Turkish counterpart agreed to hold the next meeting of the high-level Russian-Turkish Cooperation Council in Turkey.
