Russia and Turkey to hold first session of Joint Group for Strategic Planning

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov will visit Istanbul
on January 20 to take part in the first session of the Joint Group for
Strategic Planning with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu,
ITAR-TASS reports.

The group was established in Ankara in May 2010 after negotiations
between the Russian and Turkish Presidents, Dmitry Medvedev and Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. The group is aimed at improving partnership ties in
politics, trade, the economy and the cultural and humanitarian
spheres.

The meeting will see discussions on fighting extremism and terrorism
and prospects for forming a new architecture of European security and
cooperation in the Black Sea region.

The Cyprus and Middle East problems, the Trans-Caucasus, Iraq,
Afghanistan and Central Asia will be topics for discussion.

The Iranian problem will be discussed. The EU High Representative for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, and the Iranian
Secretary of the High Council for National Security, Said Jalili, will
have talks with the six mediators (5 members of the UN Security
Council and Germany) in Istanbul on January 21-22. Russian Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ryabkov will represent Russia.

The sides will discuss a visa-free regime between Moscow and Ankara.