Tianjin: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. They discussed regional and international developments, including Israel’s continued actions in Gaza, the situations in Syria and Ukraine, and other bilateral and global issues.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Erdogan emphasized the advancement of Ankara-Moscow relations based on ‘mutual respect and shared interests.’ He highlighted the cooperation between the two nations in trade, tourism, investment, and energy. Erdogan also reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to achieving a ‘just and lasting peace’ in Ukraine and expressed hope for the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia to contribute to stability in the Caucasus.

President Putin described Turkey as a ‘reliable partner,’ acknowledging its role in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and commending its contributions to resolving the crisis. He noted the progress made in direct Russian-Ukrainian talks held in Istanbul, particularly regarding humanitarian issues.

Putin also expressed satisfaction with the economic and trade cooperation between Russia and Turkey, noting a 6.6% increase in bilateral trade last year and a 3% rise in the first half of this year. He confirmed that Russia continues to supply natural gas to Turkey through the Blue Stream and TurkStream pipelines. Additionally, he highlighted the significant return of Russian tourists to Turkey, making them the largest visiting group with over 6.7 million visitors last year, a 6.3% increase from the previous year.