President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to meet on Friday in the coastal city of Sochi to discuss bilateral ties and international issues.
Erdogan and Putin will meet in person for the second time in 17 days after the meeting in Iran's capital Tehran, where the leaders had a trilateral gathering with their Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi for the seventh summit in the Astana format to discuss recent developments in Syria, the fight against terrorist groups, particularly the YPG/PKK and Daesh, as well as the humanitarian situation and the voluntarily return of Syrians.
During their meeting on July 19, the leaders condemned the increased presence and activities of terrorist groups and their affiliates under different names in various parts of Syria.
Turkey constantly emphasizes its determination to root out terrorist organizations – including Daesh and the PKK, along with its Syrian branch, the YPG – in Syria that threaten its security.
The country also reiterates the possibility of another Turkish counterterrorism operation across its southern border into northern Syria, following other operations in recent years, as long as Ankara's longstanding concerns have not been met, which Russia and Iran had opposed.
Besides Syria, Erdogan and Putin will also discuss the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its sixth month.
Turkey is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has won widespread praise for its push to end the war.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
In a breakthrough, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for peace talks in Istanbul on March 29 as the war entered its second month, with casualties piling up on both sides. Turkey also hosted the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in Antalya in March and recently hosted four-way meetings in Istanbul between Moscow, Ankara, Kyiv and the United Nations to solve the grain crisis, Daily Sabah reports.
