President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Russia to discuss ongoing regional developments – including the Idlib crisis in Syria, with the hope that Turkey will be able to put pressure on Vladimir Putin to uphold the terms of the 2018 deal. Erdoğan will arrive in Sochi on Wednesday at the invitation of Putin, Ihlas News Agency (IHA) reported.
Erdoğan will bring up the issue of recent attacks on Turkish soldiers at observation posts in Idlib as well as open discussions on more efficient means to carry out joint patrols with the Russian military. It is also expected that the two will talk about the various precautions that they will need to take against terrorist groups.
The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral ties between Ankara and Moscow, current regional developments, and international issues, with a particular emphasis on the Caucasus, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan.
The meeting will mark the first time the two presidents will have met in person in more than a year.
The Kremlin likewise announced that various aspects of Russian-Turkish partnership in the political, commercial and economic fields are on the meeting's agenda.
Erdoğan is also expected to discuss buying a second batch of S-400 missile defense systems from Russia, which has become a point of contention with NATO ally U.S.
