18:00, St Petersburg
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr
President, ladies and gentlemen.
We have
just completed the main part of the talks with President
Erdogan. Naturally, this meeting is very important for the future
of Russia-Turkey relations.
We had
a matter-of-fact and, I would like to emphasise, constructive
conversation on the entire range of bilateral issues
and the international agenda.
The history
of our relations includes different periods, sometimes very uneasy
and even dramatic ones, but the logic of mutual respect
inevitably wins out.
First
of all, I would like to note that despite the complicated
domestic situation in Turkey, Mr Erdogan found the time to come
to St Petersburg, and this step certainly shows the interest
of our Turkish partners in restoring cooperation with Russia.
Today we
met
first in a limited format and then in an expanded
format – with the participation of the heads
of ministries and departments and CEOs of large
companies – and mapped out the future actions and initial
tasks that are required to effectively restore the multifaceted ties
between our countries. Our priority is to reach the pre-crisis level
of bilateral cooperation.
And this
is really an urgent task because just in the first five months
of this year Russian-Turkish trade fell by 43 percent. Considering
that last year the decline was 23 percent, 26 percent, this trend is very
regrettable. We have painstaking work ahead of us to revive our trade
and economic cooperation. We have already begun this process but it will
take time. The visit of a Turkish delegation of Government
economic officials and their talks with Russian colleagues in late
July was an important step in this context.
We
intend to pay special attention to building up investment, commodity
flows and the implementation of promising projects. It is very
important that we have the support of our business communities
in these efforts. After the news conference we will have
an opportunity to hold a detailed discussion with heads
of major companies of the two countries. I am referring
to the phased lifting of the special economic
measures – restrictions – introduced earlier with respect
to Turkish companies. The Russian Government is working
on a draft mid-term programme of trade, economic, scientific,
technical and cultural cooperation for 2016–2019.
President
Erdogan and I have agreed to steadily resume the work
of the main mechanisms of cooperation. A session
of the mixed Intergovernmental Commission on Trade
and Economic Cooperation is scheduled for September.
The relevant departments of both countries have been instructed
to conduct a meeting of a joint strategic planning group
in the first half of 2017.
I would
like to note in this context that the energy industry has long
occupied a key place in trade and economic cooperation between
Russia and Turkey. We discussed major joint projects in this field,
the continuation of which will require concrete political decisions.
Incidentally, Turkey has already made decisions on a number
of large projects that we discussed earlier. I am referring
to such projects as the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear
Power Plant and the Turkish Stream gas pipeline system.
Bringing
our tourists back to Turkish resorts is also on our agenda.
The ban on selling package tours to Turkey to Russian
citizens was lifted in late June. I believe reaching pre-crisis
tourist levels is only a matter of time. Most importantly,
the Turkish side must ensure safe conditions for Russian citizens,
and we have received such assurances from our partners. In this
regard, we considered the possibility of resuming charter air
service. This is, perhaps, also a technical issue that can be resolved
quickly.
We
touched on the issue of lifting restrictions on hiring
Turkish citizens and companies in our construction projects. We are
working on it, and we will resolve this issue soon. Notably,
bilateral cooperation on certain large-scale projects didn’t stop
at all. For example, the opening of the central
portion of the Western High-Speed Diameter Highway here in St
Petersburg is scheduled for late 2016. It is being built jointly
by a Turkish general contractor and an Italian company.
We had
a detailed exchange on pressing international issues.
By the way, we agreed that following the news conference we will
have a separate discussion of all issues related
to the Syrian settlement. There is a general understanding.
I am confident that fighting terrorism is a critical element
of our joint efforts, and we'll discuss this in more detail
later.
In closing,
I would like to thank President Erdogan for a candid
conversation we have had today. The talks have confirmed that our
countries have every opportunity to restore normal, full-fledged
relations, which would help bolster stability not only in our region, but
also throughout the world. Russia is ready to work toward this.
Thank
you.
President
of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (retranslated): Mr President,
my dear friend, ministers, ladies and gentlemen.
I would
like to express my heartfelt greetings and respect to you
and, above all, to thank my dear friend Vladimir Putin for his
invitation and for the warm welcome he gave me.
Today,
President Putin and I had meaningful and substantive talks.
As you know, these were the first talks after the incident,
and this is our first face-to-face meeting in a long time.
In addition, my visit to Russia is the first I’ve made
since the attempted coup on 15 July in Turkey.
We are
determined to restore our relations to the pre-crisis level
and beyond. We have the political will to do so. I think
that our respective societies expect us to do just that.
As a result
of today’s talks, political, socioeconomic, cultural and humanitarian
relations between Russia and Turkey will finally be restored to their
rightful level, before the crisis.
In addition,
it is imperative to resume charter flights between our two countries, lift
the restrictions on Turkish agricultural products, and open
the way to Turkish building contractors. I hope that, step
by step, we will take all the necessary steps towards this goal.
Of course,
I would like to note that we are willing to designate
the Akkuyu Project as a strategic investment project. We have
reached agreements on this matter. We plan to expand our cooperation
in the defence industry.
With
regard to regional issues in Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, we
have launched a trilateral format, which we appreciate greatly.
Furthermore, large-scale projects, such as the Akkuyu NPP, are
important to us, and we should actively promote them. I hope
that the Moscow-Ankara axis of friendship will be restored as a result
of these steps.
Speaking
about friendship, I cannot ignore one fact. On July 15
and 16, our country lived through one of the most despicable
and bloodiest coup attempts. Members of the Fethullah Gülen
terrorist group carried it out with the intention of overthrowing our
Government. This was an attempted coup aimed at our democracy. We
will continue to fight back in solidarity with our friends.
In addition,
the Turkish Stream will be completed. Together with the relevant
ministries and departments of our countries, we will take the necessary
steps to ensure Russian gas supplies to Europe via this gas pipeline.
On the day
after the attempted coup d’etat, President Vladimir Putin called us, which
was really important for us psychologically – it was a kind
of moral support and a display of Russia-Turkey solidarity.
Esteemed
members of the press, Turkish-Russian relations are not limited
to trade and economic ties. We are also hoping that their restoration
and normalisation will bring peace and stability
to the region, which is very important. In addition, we will
soon meet in a very narrow format where we will have
an opportunity to discuss these issues as well.
Owing
to the political will of the leaders of Russia
and Turkey and the support of public opinion in both
countries, our bilateral relations have indeed reached a level
in the past few years that could serve as an example
for other countries. We have a shared vision and potential
for cooperation. These are our achievements.
Today,
my dear friend Vladimir Putin and I have confirmed
the similarity of our positions on normalising relations. We
should use the capabilities of our countries to enhance regional
stability. We believe Russian-Turkish relations are now much more stable than
any time before and will help us counter all kinds of crises.
In conclusion,
I would like to thank my dear friend Vladimir Putin personally
and on behalf of the Turkish delegation,
and to express my love and respect to all members
of the press and everyone listening.
Question (retranslated):
My question is for both presidents, first the President
of Turkey, then Mr Putin.
In terms
of resolving the situation in Syria, there have obviously been
some differences between the two countries, between the two leaders.
However, both countries are in favour of democratic changes
in that country, and you talked about this.
How much
did you focus on Syria today? Will both countries perhaps develop
a a road map to resolve this issue?
Recep
Tayyip Erdogan: First of all, I would like
to say that we have not yet discussed this issue during today’s talks.
Following the news conference, we plan to discuss it thoroughly. So,
I cannot say anything, since we did not discuss this issue.
Vladimir Putin:
I can confirm what our guest, the President of Turkey, just
said. Everyone knows that our views on a Syria settlement have not
always aligned. We agreed that following this meeting we will meet separately
with foreign ministers and representatives of special services, share
information, and look for a solution.
You mentioned
democratic reforms. We believe that democratic change can only be achieved
by democratic means. This is our principled position.
With
regard to harmonising our views and approaches, I think this is
also possible, if only because we have a common goal, which is
to resolve the Syria crisis. I think that based on this
platform and this general approach, we will start looking
for a mutually acceptable solution.
Question: Mr
Putin, you spoke about the need to revive trade and economic
relations between the two countries and, in part, about some
of the agreements on major projects that have already been
reached. If I may, I would like to ask you to specify which
project is more important for Russia – the South Stream,
considering Sofia’s statements, or the Turkish Stream, considering
your discussion today – and the general character
of Russia-Turkey cooperation at the moment. Or is there
a possibility of compromise on these two projects?
And Mr
Erdogan, you expressed interest in implementing the Akkuyu Nuclear
Power Plant project and even intend to grant it a new
status. However, as far as I know, its continuation requires
the adoption of several laws in Turkey
and the acquisition of a number of permits. When will
practical steps be taken to this end? Thank you.
Vladimir
Putin: We have never politicised economic cooperation.
In proposing the South Stream project initially, we assumed that our
gas would go directly to EU consumers in southern Europe. However,
at first the European Parliament made a decision that prevented
the implementation of this project and then the European
Commission sent a letter to the Bulgarian Government demanding
that preparations for it stop, and ultimately we did not receive
the permission of the Bulgarian authorities to enter Bulgarian
territory.
Yes, now
we see that Bulgaria would like to resume this project, but we incurred
some losses due to the refusal of our European partners
to carry out this project. So now we will not settle for just
intentions and need absolutely rock solid legal guarantees. They have not
been forthcoming. Initially we regarded the Turkish Stream not even
as an alternative to the South Stream but
as an opportunity to expand our gas cooperation both with Turkey
and Europe as a whole. One part of the Turkish Stream
was designed exclusively for Turkey’s domestic consumers given
the growing economy of the Republic of Turkey. This is how
we discussed the issue today. This part is beyond any doubt and its
implementation may be launched very soon.
The second
part related to routing our energy to Europe depends, of course,
on a third party. We should work out these issues with European
countries and the European Commission in Brussels. Together with
our Turkish partners and friends, we are prepared to work toward this,
but again we need to have an agreement with all
the participants.
With
regard to all manner of permits, we should give credit to our
Turkish colleagues. Unlike the South Stream project in the past,
even despite the crisis in our relations, the Turkish side has
been working on it, and basic permits and issues related
to the Turkish Stream have already been processed and issued.
There are still some issues that require more work to obtain permits. We
discussed individual issues today.
As for the Akkuyu
NPP, three Turkish laws have been amended. We raised the issue
of designating it a strategic investment project, which met with
a positive response today. All of this suggests that these major
projects – and we are talking about projects worth tens of billions
of dollars – are quite feasible. I hope they will be seen
to completion.
Recep
Tayyip Erdogan: With regard to the Akkuyu project,
what we were expected to do is designate the project a strategic
investment. From this perspective, we talked with our friends, our colleagues,
and we plan to adopt a decision and designate
the Russian project as a strategic investment as soon
as possible. That will allow Akkuyu to take its place among other
projects in our country and enjoy all the necessary benefits that
come with this status.
With
regard to other issues, in particular, the Turkish Stream,
as you may know, we buy 28 billion cubic metres of gas from Russia:
18 billion are bought by state-owned organisations and 10 billion
by privately owned businesses. So, we plan to implement this project
in two areas, one of which includes supplies of Russian gas
to Europe, and to speed it up. This is one of our current
tasks, and I believe it is the right thing to do.
Thank
you.
Vladimir
Putin: I would add that our cooperation is not
limited to energy, gas, or a power plant. It is quite
diversified and includes mechanical engineering, metallurgical industry,
and trade. We discussed at length the resumption
of agricultural supplies. We will do all of that as part
of the plans that we articulated today.
Question (retranslated):
A question for both leaders. First, Mr Putin, as we understand,
you are resolved to restore relations to the pre-crisis level.
Will this take time and if so, what timeframe do you have in mind? In addition,
you mentioned the need to simplify visa requirements between
the two countries. Are you going to return to this issue?
I also
have questions for the President of Turkey. We see that
relations have entered a new stage but you also said you were very pleased
and grateful to Mr Putin for calling you on the phone
after the attempted coup. So I would like to ask a question
in the context of US-Turkish relations: is it possible
to describe relations between Turkey and Russia as strategic?
Have you entered a new stage of strategic relations?
Vladimir
Putin: Regarding the full restoration
of relations – do we want it or not? Yes, we want it
and will do this. Life moves very quickly. Certain changes were caused
by the introduction of restrictions. We must consider these
changes as we implement plans to restore our trade and economic
ties.
In this
context we adopted a Government decision to draft a medium-term
programme of trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural
cooperation for 2016–2019, which I have just mentioned. I am
hoping this programme will be adopted very soon. We will do this
in the next few weeks on the issues that do not require
much time for coordination between our departments. As for those
issues that take longer to coordinate, we will include them in this
medium-term programme. So I would advise you to follow the work
of our Intergovernmental Commission and relevant departments.
We have
just agreed that our colleagues will continue contacts on a daily
basis without red tape. Decisions on some issues will be made
in the near future.
As for visa
issues, yes, they should be resolved as well, considering that they are
related to economic cooperation. We have quoted our Turkish colleagues
today as saying that visa restrictions are causing economic problems
in the field of transport – both for train
and air travel. We should take all this into account as we unblock
our economic cooperation.
Recep
Tayyip Erdogan: Thank you very much, Mr President,
in particular.
You are
suggesting that I draw a comparison, but I can tell you this:
in Russian-Turkish relations, in economic terms, we achieved
a turnover of $35 billion. We are the two countries that managed
to do this. Of course, after last year’s incident, trade fell
to about $28 billion, and then even lower.
We have
a High-Level Cooperation Council in place, which provides
for this kind of strategic cooperation. We have worked together
within this mechanism. We hope to be able to hold another meeting
of the council next year and to resume our partnership from
where we left it here in St Petersburg.
You may
recall that we had a goal of reaching $100 billion in trade,
and we will strive to achieve this goal. As of today, we
are resuming the process, and we are moving towards this goal.
Another
conclusion I have made: from the point of view of tourism,
Turkey did derive substantial income from Russian tourists, and tourism
brought our peoples closer. I believe we should not leave this process
unattended. During today’s talks, the President said that the process
of resuming charter flights between our two countries will be sped up.
This process is an important sign that our rapprochement will go even
faster.
Thank
you.
Question: Mr
Putin, recently the foreign media again raised the issue of the Americans
paying Iran $400 million in cash. Officially, this money was supposedly
paid for arms supplies in 1979. But some claim that it was ransom
for the release of four Americans from Iranian prisons. I recall
your recent meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry at which
you said that you had fulfilled Barack Obama’s request to secure
the release of Americans. Could you describe the details
of this special operation and clarify whether aircraft with millions
of dollars in cash have flown from Washington to Russia
as well.
Vladimir
Putin: Your irony is understandable
to an extent. I would like to say that we do not deal with
exchanges and ransom, but indeed, several months ago the United
States asked us to help secure the release of an American
citizen who wound up on the territory of the Syrian
Republic. We did this after some work. This was not a special operation.
We simply reached an agreement with the Syrian authorities
on this issue, received the man and transferred him
to the US – of course, without any money or ransom. We
were motivated exclusively by humanitarian considerations. That’s all. If
there is an opportunity to help people in such difficult
circumstances as was the case with that American citizen, we will be
ready to do this in the future as well for citizens
of any country. We hope that our partners will reciprocate with our
citizens.
In conclusion
I would like to thank representatives of the media
and the President for his visit, for bringing such
a representative delegation, and to express my gratitude
to the Government of the Republic of Turkey
and the business community.
I would
like to say that we indeed went through a very difficult period
in our relations but we would very much like – and we feel our
Turkish friends would like this as well – to overcome these
difficulties in the interests of Turkish and Russian
citizens.
The supreme
interests of our nations and countries demand the restoration
of relations between our countries – and not only out
of pragmatic considerations but also in the name
of the long-term neighbourly ties and friendship between
the peoples of Turkey and the Russian Federation.
Thank
you very much.
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