Putin, Erdogan agree on steps to mend relations

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia

Turkey’s president cozied up to his “dear friend” Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in a visit intended to send a message to his allies in the West, whom he blames for what he considers a lack of support after a failed coup.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pressed the United States to extradite the man he claims was behind the failed insurrection, and has sought more funds and visa-free travel from the European Union, but it’s unclear what leverage improved ties with Russia could give him.

Putin, in turn, expects Turkey to become more accommodating of Russia’s interests in Syria and move faster on major energy projects – demands Ankara could find difficult to meet.

After their talks in St. Petersburg’s ornate Konstantin Palace, both leaders emphasized their shared desire to rebuild ties, but it remained unclear if they could reach common ground on the Syrian crisis. While Moscow has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nation’s civil war and further bolstered that support by launching an air campaign last September, Turkey has pushed for Assad’s removal and helped his foes.

Putin said he and Erdogan would have a separate discussion on Syria involving top diplomats and intelligence officials.

Repeatedly calling Putin his “dear friend,” Erdogan refrained from mentioning any sticking points after the talks, saying he expects ties to fully blossom again soon. He said Turkey is ready to implement a natural-gas pipeline project proposed by Moscow and a deal for Russia to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant.

Both projects were announced years earlier but had been held back by commercial disputes even before Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet at the Syrian border last November.