"My dear friend Vladimir": what Putin and Erdogan discussed

Meeting between Russian and Turkish presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took place today in the Constantine Palace in Strelna on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. Press conference was held after the meeting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday his talks with his visiting Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, were constructive. He said the meeting was of major significance for further relations between Russia and Turkey. "We had a substantial and, I would like to stress, constructive conversation on the entire spectrum of bilateral ties, and on the international agenda," TASS quoted Putin as saying.

Putin also said that resumption of charter service with Turkey is a matter of the near future as Ankara has given security guarantees for Russian tourists. Thus, he reminded, the ban on sales of travel packages to that country was lifted already in late June. "The most important thing is to have guarantees of that maximum security of Russian tourists from the Turkish side and we have received such guarantees from our partners," Putin said.

"In this context, we looked at possible resumption of charter air service, which is actually a matter of the near future," he stressed.

According to the Russian leader, today’s talks outlined an algorithm of further actions and steps to restore full-fledged relations between the two countries. "The top priority task is to reach the pre-crisis level of bilateral cooperation," Putin said.

In his words, energetic effort will be needed to solve this "pressing task" as trade between the two countries dropped by 43% in the first five months of 2016 alone. Last year too saw a decrease in trade. To mend the situation, Russia and Turkey will focus on efforts to encourage mutual investments and trade flows, Putin said.

Russia and Turkey share understanding that combating terrorism should be the main element in bilateral cooperation, Russian head of state said. Putin noted that he exchanged opinions with Erdogan on international issues. Syrian settlement will be additionally discussed after the press conference, he added.

Speaking about Syria, he said that only democratic means will make it possible to carry out transformations in this country. "We believe that democratic transformations can be achieved only by democratic means. This is our position of principle," Putin said.

As for coordination of the two states’ views and approaches to the Syrian settlement, the Russian president expressed the hope that it would be possible at least because Russia and Turkey had a common goal to settle the Syrian crisis, TASS writes.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underscored that Turkey's relations with Russia will enter a new phase following the normalization of ties between the two countries. "My dear friend Vladimir Putin and I have a joint position, showing that we have a will to show the rest of the world that we will be acting as friendly countries. Turkish-Russian relations will continue to improve, and we believe our relations are much stronger than they were before," Erdogan said.

Speaking after the bilateral meeting with Putin, Erdogan said Turkey and Russia will reinstate their annual bilateral trade target of $100 billion, adding that cooperation in the defense industry will also be enhanced, Daily Sabah reported.

Erdogan also praised Putin for personally calling him to express his support following the failed July 15 military coup attempt. “That meant a lot psychologically,” RT quoted him as saying.