Kremlin announces planned meeting between Putin and Erdogan, but not earlier than 2017

TASS
Mon, 28 Nov 2016 18:25 UTC

© Damir Sagolj/Reuters

Russia's President Vladimir Putin interacts with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan

A meeting between the Russian and Turkish presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is being prepared but will take place not earlier than 2017, Russian president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"Such a meeting is being prepared," he told TASS. "There is understanding that it may take place very soon."

However he answered in the negative when asked whether the two leaders may meet before the year ends.

"The volume of our bilateral relations is impressive and we have a lot to restore," he said. "There are expansion plans in many areas. Now, the intergovernmental commission is working on to uplift these plans to the interstate level, to the level of the two countries' presidents.".

Comment: They should have plenty to talk about, especially since Turkey has decided to violate Syria's sovereignty by sending troops in to Syria in order to "end the rule" of Assad." Putin will most likely not be pleased with Turkey's actions against a key ally of Russia in the Middle East.