On January 29, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin honest and respectful and announced the same relations between Turkey and Russia as a whole.
“In relations with Russia, we have respect and trust. And my relationship with Mr. Putin is based on honesty. And all our requests regarding Tatarstan, Dagestan and all these regions are answered,” Erdogan said, speaking to young people in the city of Bilecik.
The Turkish leader also recalled that he offered Russian leader Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting of the leaders of Turkey, Russia and Syria. And he admitted that Iran could join the planned negotiations.
“We say: let Russia-Turkey-Syria unite in a trio. Let Iran also join, let’s conduct our negotiations in this way, and let there be peace in the region. We are also getting results here,” Erdogan said.
Earlier, on January 16, the leaders of Russia and Turkey held telephone conversations. During the conversation, the parties discussed, among other things, the situation around Ukraine, including the issue of the exchange of prisoners, primarily the wounded. In addition, Putin and Erdogan reaffirmed their commitment to the further comprehensive development of Russian-Turkish cooperation.
Prior to this, a telephone conversation between Putin and Erdogan took place on January 5. Then the President of the Russian Federation announced Moscow’s readiness for a dialogue on Ukraine, provided that Kyiv fulfills the previously voiced demands of the Russian side.
On January 6, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez announced that the country continues negotiations with Russia on the issue of deferring payment for natural gas. A day earlier, the Turkish president announced in a conversation with the Russian leader about plans to complete the road map for the gas hub as soon as possible.
On December 17, 2020, during a big press conference, Putin said that sometimes he and Erdogan have opposite views on certain issues, but the Turkish leader always keeps his word and “does not wag his tail.”
