Putin, Erdogan agree on steps to mend relations

“A new page will be opened in Russo-Turkish ties”.

A thaw in relations between the two countries would appear to suit both men.

“We agreed that a Turkish-Russian joint investment fund be established”.

The visit is being closely watched in the West, where some fear both men might use their rapprochement to exert pressure on Washington and the European Union and stir tensions within North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the military alliance of which Turkey is a member.

The pair shook hands and exchanged pleasantries at Konstantin Palace, with Erdogan thanking Putin for calling him soon after a failed coup attempt in Turkey last month.

“The Russian President was much quicker in his condemnation of the attempted coup than many of Turkey’s Western allies and they’ve [the Western allies] also expressed alarm at the extent of the post-coup crackdown”, said Al Jazeera’s Smith.

Mr Putin, one of the first foreign leaders to phone Mr Erdogan offering support after the coup attempt, shares none of the scruples of European Union leaders about the ensuing crackdown.

“I believe that we have all the necessary prerequisites and opportunities for fully restoring the relations between our two countries which would help strengthen both regional and global stability”, Putin added.

Russian Federation is flying a bombing campaign in support of President Bashar Al Assad while Turkey is fiercely opposed to the Syrian leader.

Progress there could be a tough ask given the complexities of the conflict and their different loyalties, but repairing business ties promises to be an easier task.

Turkey and Russia yesterday reached a clear consensus on mormalising ties, said an official in Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s office after a meeting between the Turkish leader and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Russian Federation is now lifting trade and tourism sanctions imposed a year ago that damaged the Turkish economy, and wants to push ahead with projects for a gas pipeline and a nuclear power station in Turkey that were halted when relations froze.

Moscow’s main strategic goal is to keep North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces far from its borders, Russian Federation expert Akin Unver of Istanbul’s Kadir Has University tells Peter.

In contrast, Mr Erdogan praised Mr Putin for offering his support after the coup and said that “we are strongly determined to take our relations to the pre-crisis and even higher level”.

The statement said the head of RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, would also attend the meeting between the two presidents.

Gulen strongly denies Ankara’s accusations and his lawyer on Friday said Turkey had failed to provide “a scintilla” of proof to support its claim.

Relations between Turkey and Russian Federation – two powers vying for influence in the strategic Black Sea region and Middle East – have historically not been straightforward.