Ambassador: Erdogan's visit to Russia brings bilateral relations to new level

Turkish President's visit to Russia on August 9 was one of the most important visits in the last 500 years, the Turkish Ambassador to Russia Ümit Yardim said at a press conference.

"This visit brought our relations to a new level. This is a victory of diplomacy. The leaders of the two countries played an important role in that. It is only been two days, but later we will see the significance of these steps. Despite the attempts of some to hinder this meeting, it still was held. At such level of relations, it is very significant to hold such a meeting [after the crisis -VK]," he said.

The diplomat expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped to make this event happen. "We are grateful to all the people in Russia and Turkey, who have approached this historical moment. But still, I think it is worth saying that it was the political will of the two presidents," Yardym noted.

The Ambassador stressed that relations with Russia are strategically important for Turkey. "We have always said that our relations need to be developed. We do not evaluate these relations regarding the risks which may arise in the face of the West. The right answer to Western media speculations is to further develop of our relations. This is the most important task for us," he noted.

The diplomat added that the presidents also discussed the Syrian issue. "We have agreed that our meetings on Syria should be resumed. We have started to prepare contacts at this level. These meetings will gain momentum. Both sides are aware of the need to find a way out of this situation and to intensify the process of finding solutions. On August 9, we have created a platform for a political dialogue. All the issues on Syria were agreed on, and we began to work in this direction. I hope that we will see the results soon," Ümit Yardim said.