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
