According to Russian media reports, on September 29, local time, Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan met in Sochi, during which the two showed "intimacy" with a smile. Just a few days ago, Erdogan expressed his disappointment with Biden and announced his intention to get close to Russia.
According to reports, Putin and Erdogan met for three hours and discussed topics such as forest fires, natural gas pipelines, nuclear power plants and areas of common concern to the two countries: Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and so on.
But since the two presidents did not address the media after the talks, the outcome of the talks remains a mystery. Erdogan tweeted that night that he was having a "fruitful meeting" with Putin. Meanwhile, the Kremlin released photos of the two presidents smiling and shaking hands and the opening remarks before their meeting.
According to a statement released by the Kremlin, Putin told Erdogan that he was "pleased that our relationship can continue to develop and make progress in a positive way" and that Russia and Turkey have "cooperated quite successfully in the international arena, including on the issues of Syria and Libya". Putin noted that Russian-Turkish trade has recovered from the downturn caused by the epidemic and thanked Erdogan for his consistent position on the issue of the "Turkey Creek" gas pipeline.
Erdogan, meanwhile, very closely called Putin a "dear friend." He said he was happy to meet Putin himself. He also thanked Russia for its assistance to Turkey in facing the forest fire problem, and expressed condolences to the families of the five Russian servicemen killed in the plane crash in August.
In mid-August, a Russian Be-200 amphibious aircraft crashed after a firefighting mission in Turkey that day, killing all five Russian and three Turkish servicemen on board.
Erdogan also thanked Putin for supporting the large number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey, acknowledging that the move has played a role in supporting the country's industries affected by the epidemic. Both leaders mentioned the construction of the Akuyu nuclear power plant on the southern coast of Turkey by Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation.
Earlier, Erdogan expressed frustration at talks with NATO ally US President Joe Biden and announced that he would try to forge closer ties with Russia. Russian media pointed out that Turkey is an important member of the US-led NATO, which of course means that the Russian-Turkish summit may have geopolitical implications. Less than a week ago, Erdogan, who was in the United States for the United Nations General Assembly, launched an attack on Biden, suggesting that he was "inferior to George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump." Erdogan said his relationship with Biden, unlike other U.S. presidents, "didn't go well at the beginning."
Proofreader: Zeng Huiwen