Thursday 28th of March 2024, 22:53 CET
Putin: high hopes for cooperation with Turkey
December 24, 2002
Associated Press

Posted by HW on March 28, 2024

Russian-Turkish relation
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the visiting leader of Turkey's new ruling party that he had high hopes for developing Russian-Turkish ties.

Putin congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of Turkey's Justice and Development Party, on his party's recent electoral victory.

"I expect that the best traditions in our relations will be preserved, and that we will reach new levels of cooperation," Putin said as he opened his Kremlin meeting with Erdogan.

Trade
Putin said that Russia and Turkey had US$5 billion in annual trade turnover, plus US$4 billion in what he called unofficial trade — presumably including the burgeoning business between small-scale "suitcase traders." Turkish firms have US$6 billion worth of contracts in Russia, and the two countries are cooperating in the Blue Stream project to build a natural gas pipeline under the Black Sea, Putin noted.

Chechnya
"I would like to thank you for your firm position in the fight against terrorism," Putin said. "We hope that our cooperation in this sphere will only grow."

Russia has expressed satisfaction over recent signs that Turkey has stepped up pressure on ethnic Chechen groups in Turkey, which are believed to have helped finance militants during the more than three-year-old war in Chechnya. Following the October hostage-taking raid on a Moscow theater by gunmen demanding an end to the war, Russia urged Turkey to shut down Chechen organizations, claiming they had been in contact with the hostage-takers.

Thousands of Chechens live in Turkey and up to 5 million Turks trace their roots to the Caucasus region, which includes Chechnya. Pro-Chechen militants have carried out hijackings and hostage takings in Turkey, including an April 2001 siege at an Istanbul hotel in which 120 people were held captive for 12 hours before rebels surrendered and released the hostages unharmed.

Strengthen economic ties
Erdogan, accompanied by a 170-strong delegation told Putin that his main goal was to strengthen economic and trade ties. On Monday, he opened a new department store in the Turkish Ramstore chain, and on Tuesday he opened a new Turkish trade center in Moscow.
 
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