Moscow and Ankara are expected to sign a medium-term program of economic, cultural and scientific-and-technical cooperation in January 2017, the Russian Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev said following the meeting with the Turkish Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci.
"Serious progress has been reached in the spheres of tourism and air service. We have achieved serious progress in drafting a new legal framework for our relations. The text of a medium-term program of economic, scientific-and technical and cultural cooperation is practically ready," he said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.
"We have settled all our differences. The document is practically ready for signing. We hope it will be signed in the presence of the two countries’ presidents in January, during a session of the top-level cooperation council," TASS cited him as saying.
Turkish Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci, in turn, said after talks with his Russian counterpart that the cooperation program covers a period of four years. He also said that Russia and Turkey may sign a free trade agreements by the end of 2017.
He added that Turkish and Russian investment funds would both provide $500 million each for the establishment of the fund and its capital could be increased beyond $1 billion if needed.
