Erdogan Hosts Putin to Tighten Turkey-Russia Alliance
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday holds talks in Ankara with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to tighten links which have survived potentially grave disputes over the Syria and Ukraine crises.
The talks are expected to focus on energy cooperation -- with Ankara seeking not only a reduction in gas prices from Russia but also greater import volumes ahead of the winter -- as well as key diplomatic issues.
It will be the first time the pair have met face-to-face since Erdogan moved from the post of prime minister to president in August, the same job change that Putin himself made in 2012.
Commentators often note the similarities between Erdogan, 60, and Putin, 62, charismatic strongmen who are both accused abroad of authoritarianism but retain significant support bases at home.
Russia and Turkey appear so far to have successfully shielded their strong relations from potentially damaging disputes over the crises in Syria and Ukraine.
Ankara -- a strong supporter of the territorial integrity of states due to its own battle with Kurdish separatists -- opposed Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine this year, AFP reported.
It is also worried about the situation on the Black Sea peninsula of the Turkic Crimean Tatar minority who, according to activists, are the victims of persecution by the new pro-Kremlin authorities.
Meanwhile, the two countries are at odds over the Syria conflict, with Putin the last remaining major ally of President Bashar al-Assad but Erdogan pressing for the Syrian leader to be ousted without delay.
But these disputes appear not to have harmed other aspects of cooperation, with more than four million Russian tourists visiting Turkey annually and Russia building Turkey's first nuclear power plant in a $20 billion project.