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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday on the sidelines of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China, with both leaders highlighting growing economic ties despite international tensions.
The meeting, held at a hotel in Tianjin where the SCO Heads of State Council Summit is taking place, focused on bilateral relations, regional conflicts and energy cooperation between the two countries.
During the meeting, Erdogan said the following: "My dear friend, you know our desire to host you in Türkiye. My invitation is permanent."
"We look forward to welcoming you to our country as soon as possible. We have a sincere relationship based on trust. Our relations are progressing without being affected by the current challenges," he noted.
Putin praised Türkiye's hospitality during the talks, noting that Russian tourists topped the list of foreign visitors to Türkiye in 2024 with a record 6.7 million arrivals, a 6.3% increase from the previous year.
"This is primarily your achievement, Mr. President (Erdogan), because you create conditions for our citizens to feel at home in Türkiye, to feel safe, with a favorable atmosphere around them," Putin told Erdogan.
The Russian leader expressed satisfaction with bilateral trade dynamics, reporting that trade volume grew 6.6% last year and increased nearly 3% in the first half of 2024.
"We view Türkiye as a reliable, time-tested partner both in bilateral affairs and in the international arena," Putin said.
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Energy cooperation dominated economic discussions, with Putin emphasizing Russia's role as a key natural gas supplier to Türkiye through the Blue Stream and TurkStream pipelines across the Black Sea.
Erdogan announced the successful testing of a clearing mechanism to finance the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant through gas payments from the Turkish company Botas.
"We have achieved successful results in testing the clearing mechanism that will meet Akkuyu NPP's financing needs," the Turkish president said.
The $20 billion Akkuyu project, Türkiye's first nuclear power plant being built by Russia's Rosatom, is preparing to commission its first reactor unit soon, according to Putin.
Erdogan reaffirmed Türkiye's commitment to pursuing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, expressing a belief that the Istanbul negotiations have contributed to the peace process.
Putin acknowledged Türkiye's diplomatic efforts, stating, "We are very grateful to our Turkish friends for their diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. Istanbul served as a platform for three rounds of talks starting in May this year."
The leaders also discussed the situation in Gaza, Syria's territorial integrity and political unity, and the ongoing negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Erdogan also expressed hope that Azerbaijan-Armenia talks would achieve lasting peace, noting that permanent stability in the Caucasus would benefit both Türkiye and Russia's mutual interests.
Both presidents brought extensive delegations to the bilateral meeting. Erdogan was accompanied by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Defense Minister Yasar Guler and National Intelligence Organization chief Ibrahim Kalin, among others.
Putin's delegation included Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev, Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin, Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev and presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
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