Erdogan says informing on Gulen supporters ‘patriotic duty’

Speaking on August 9 during a visit to St. Petersburg, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Vladimir Putin that Turkey was entering a “very different period” in relations with Russian Federation, and that cooperation between the two countries would help solve regional problems.

The meeting between the two leaders on Tuesday confirmed that Turkey and Russian Federation are moving swiftly to restore their strategic economic partnership.

He said a delegation from Turkey’s Foreign Ministry was continuing talks with Russian officials on August 10.

MOSCOW – Russian media hailed President Vladimir Putin’s landmark meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a major breakthrough on Wednesday, after relations between their countries collapsed when Ankara downed a Russian jet in November.

After putschists failed to overthrow Erdogan’s government-in a night that left more than 240 people dead-Putin called Erdogan to express solidarity, which was a “psychological boost”, the Turkish president said.

From Moscow Recep Tayyip Erdogan called President Vladimir Putin his “dear friend” and announced the resumption of Turkish Stream, a major infrastructural project of strategic value to Russian Federation.

Russian Federation and Turkey remain on opposite sides of the Syrian conflict, with Turkey and the rest of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation supporting opposition against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, whom Russian Federation has backed with military supplies and its own bombing campaign.

The dispute has strained U.S.

However, there has been a thaw in relations in recent months, with Mr Putin accepting a personal expression of regret by Mr Erdogan over the incident as an apology.

Turkey has pressed the United States hard to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric the government blames for the failed coup. The Obama administration has strongly denied that. -Turkish ties, with some Turkish officials implying the USA could have been behind the coup.

Along with the Woodrow Wilson Center and USA generals, Turkish officials have also accused Gulen of being behind the coup, and have demanded his immediate extradition.

Turkish officials have fumed at expressions of concern over the sweeping crackdown from European officials and rights groups, and accused the West of failing to show support for a democratically elected government. Turkey’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation membership is not in question.

“Putin and I have found similar position on normalization of bilateral relations, while we agreed to use the capacities of the two countries to maintain regional stability”, Erdogan concluded.

“I am of the opinion that the public of both countries expected this from us”.

Meanwhile, as tensions with the EU rise, Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik yesterday threatened to stop implementing an agreement with the bloc to stem the flow of migrants to the continent if the EU does not provide a clear date to grant visa-free travel to Turks.