Russian President Vladimir Putin said opening talks with his visiting Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he wants to discuss problems of the Syrian settlement and try to find solutions to them.
"Our relations are developing dynamically and positively. It can be said about our trade and economic ties, which are growing rapidly. It can be said about our security cooperation, especially within the region, on the international arena in a broad sense of the word," TASS cited him as saying. "There are a lot of problems, some of them being very difficult. I am glad to see you not only to exchange views on the entire range of problems but also to try to find solutions where there are none as of yet," the Russian leader noted.
Welcoming the guest, Putin stressed that their meetings are held rather regularly. He noted that the Turkish president’s latest visit to Russia took place exactly a year ago.
Erdogan, in turn, said that a joint statement on Syria due to be made after his meeting with Putin would bring "new hope" to the region.
"The statement which we will make after the meeting in Sochi will contain new hope for the region," Erdogan said, giving no indication of what would be in the statement.
Ahead of the trip to Russia, Erdogan said Turkey’s calls for a ceasefire in Idlib region were bearing fruit after days of relative calm but that more work needed to be done.
