Turkish Stream, Akkuyu NPP high on agenda at Moskow-Ankara talks

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the implementation of projects on building the first Turkish nuclear power plant Akkuyu and the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline during the meeting in Moscow scheduled for March 10.

"The agenda, in particular, includes the implementation of joint projects to build the first Turkish nuclear power plant Akkuyu and the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline," RIA Novosti reported with reference to the Kremlin statement.

In addition, the leaders of the countries "will discuss the entire complex of issues of Russian-Turkish relations with an emphasis on further restoring mutually beneficial trade and economic ties."

The sides are expected to discuss boosting up the bilateral relations and trade, especially in the fields of energy.

The prospects for cooperation between Russia and Turkey in the fight against international terrorism and the settlement of the Syrian crisis will be one of the main topics of the negotiations.

It is also planned to exchange views on the relevant aspects of regional problems, first of all, regarding the prospects for further cooperation between Russia and Turkey in the fight against terrorism and the settlement of the Syrian crisis, according to the statement.

The Turkish Stream gas pipeline was announced in December 2014. President Putin lately signed a law on the ratification of the agreement with Ankara on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline.

Moscow and Ankara signed an agreement to construct and operate Turkey’s first nuclear power plant at the Akkuyu site in May 2010. As many as 35 billion kWh per year are expected to be produced by the plant.

Both leaders met earlier in October 2016 in Istanbul, where they discussed restoring trade, the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, and cooperation in Syrian peace diplomacy.

The Ankara-Moscow relations appear to be on the mend these days, after a drastic worsening in November 2015, when a Russian Su-24 bomber was shot down by the Turkish Air Force. Russia imposed a wave of economic sanctions against Turkey in response to the incident, with the two countries requiring over a year to mend relations.

Erdogan visited Russia in August 2016 – his first meeting with Putin since downing the Russian jet. Both sides agreed to restore and develop relations.

In December, Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov was shot and killed during a speech at an exhibition in Ankara by Mevlut Mert Altintas, a Turkish police officer. Erdogan condemned the attack and called for an investigation.

In February 2017, Russian airstrikes accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers and injured 11 others in northern Syria. Putin immediately apologized for the incident. Ankara said it was satisfied with the Kremlin's actions and statements.