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Putin to meet Erdogan, Rouhani in Turkey during his first visit abroad since re-election Putin in Turkey to discuss next steps on Syria, S-400s & nuclear power
(about 5 hours later)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Ankara, where he is due to meet with Turkish and Iranian leaders. The talks will center around resolution of the conflict in Syria and S-400 deliveries to Turkey, among other issues. Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Ankara to meet his Turkish and Iranian counterparts. The trio will focus on Syria, days after the milestone liberation of Ghouta, as Moscow also finalizes joint projects with Turkey.
President Putin chose Turkey as his first foreign visit after reelection to talk to the other two guarantors of a ceasefire in Syria: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The three nations have managed to establish de-escalation zones and humanitarian pauses that have gradually wound down hostilities and allowed thousands of civilians to escape combat zones, such as the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, where Russia played a major role.
On Tuesday, Putin began his first visit abroad since re-election in the Turkish capital Ankara. The Russian leader is expected to have diverse discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and will be joined by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday. The alliance seems to be working out so far, despite each side having its own interests in the region. In January this year, the three nations brokered the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Russia’s Sochi, aiming to bolster the peace process agreed on at the 2012 Geneva talks. The gathering, endorsed by the UN as “an important contribution to a revived intra-Syrian talks process” but boycotted by some of the anti-Assad opposition groups, resulted in the agreement to create a 150-strong Constitutional Committee, which will work out a new constitution for Syria.
Putin will begin the two-day visit by addressing workers at an opening ceremony that marks the start of construction works at Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu. Russia is standing “at the onset of creation of nuclear industry in Turkey,” said Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov. Before the three-way talks commence in Ankara, Putin will talk business with Erdogan one-on-one. His visit kicks off at a ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of Turkey's first nuclear power plant at Akkuyu. Russia is standing "at the onset of the creation of the nuclear industry in Turkey," said Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov.
The bilateral meeting between Putin and Erdogan is expected to touch upon the long-negotiated delivery of Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missiles. Moscow is trying to meet Ankara’s calls for supplies to be expedited, Ushakov revealed. The first complexes of the advanced Russian anti-aircraft system are scheduled to be delivered to Turkey in 2020, despite discontent from some of Turkey’s NATO allies, including the US. The power plant's first reactor is expected to begin working in 2023. Russia will remain the plant's owner, effectively selling power to Turkey.
The Russian and Turkish leaders will also discuss the situation in Syria, both during their bilateral meetings and when they are joined by their Iranian counterpart. The trio are known as guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire, and their joint efforts have decreased the level of violence and led to the demise of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in the war-torn country. Another major deal between Moscow and Ankara is the sale of Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile complexes. Turkey, a NATO member, has been forging ahead with the purchase despite protests from some of its allies, including the US. It is now asking Russia to expedite deliveries – a call that Moscow is working hard to meet by supplying the S-400s before 2020, according to Ushakov.
In a new development, Syrian government forces liberated all militant-held settlements in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta last week. Russian military assisted the operation in the area and, thanks to Russian-brokered humanitarian “pauses” and safe passages, around 150,000 people managed to escape the enclave.
READ MORE: Major E. Ghouta highway cleared after 7-year militant blockade (DRONE FOOTAGE)READ MORE: Major E. Ghouta highway cleared after 7-year militant blockade (DRONE FOOTAGE)