Taking part in the meeting on the Russian side were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin; Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office and Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov; Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov; Minister of Transport Andrei Nikitin; Minister of Energy Sergey Tsivilev; Director of the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev; CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries Kirill Dmitriev; and Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev.
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Beginning of Russian-Turkish talks
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, dear friend, I am very glad to see you and greatly value our personal contacts, which are always conducted in a constructive and mutually respectful manner. This fully reflects the principles of good-neighbourliness and the traditionally friendly character of Russian-Turkish relations.
We consider Turkiye a reliable, time-tested partner, both in bilateral matters and on the international stage.
We are satisfied with the dynamics of trade and economic cooperation. Last year, trade grew by 6.6 percent, and in the first six months of this year it increased by almost three percent.
The intergovernmental commission is working actively, with its latest meeting held in Moscow at the end of June.
Large-scale investments are being carried out on a reciprocal basis. Russian companies are implementing major projects in Turkish sectors such as metallurgy and car manufacturing. Turkish firms are widely represented in Russia in machinery, metallurgy, and wood processing.
Our partnership in the energy sector is truly strategic. Russia is one of the key suppliers of natural gas to Turkiye. Exports are currently running uninterrupted through the Black Sea via the Blue Stream and TurkStream pipelines.
Through the Rosatom state corporation, the flagship project to build Turkiye’s first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, is ongoing. Preparations are underway for the imminent commissioning of the first power unit of the plant.
Notably, in 2024, Russian tourists once again ranked first among foreign visitors to Turkiye. It seems a new historical record has been set: more than 6.7 million Russian citizens visited your country, 6.3 percent more than the previous year. This, without doubt, is primarily thanks to you, Mr President, because you create the conditions that allow our citizens to feel at home in Turkiye, feel safe, and enjoy a welcoming atmosphere.
We value our constructive cooperation with Turkiye on the international stage, including through joint work within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, where your country has held dialogue partner status since 2012.
We are grateful to our Turkish friends for their significant contribution to the political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. On the Istanbul platform, three rounds of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks have already taken place since May this year, advancing a number of practical humanitarian issues. I am confident that Turkiye’s special role in these matters will continue to be important.
We also focus on areas of shared interest, such as the Middle East, North Africa and the South Caucasus. Russian-Turkish cooperation in all these areas is well established, concrete, productive, and, I would say, built on trust.
Thank you.
President of the Republic of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan (retranslated): My dear friend, as you know, we have long wished to welcome you to our country. That remains unchanged, and we look forward to seeing you soon.
We have built a relationship of trust. Our ties are developing steadily, without being affected by short-term difficulties. Our technical-level negotiations continue positively, aiming to develop alternative solutions that will not hinder the integration of our financial institutions with international markets.
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