Putin to discuss bilateral ties, Middle East during his visits to Egypt, Turkey

MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay working visits to Egypt and Turkey on Monday. In both cases, the top-level talks will focus on bilateral issues, the Russian-Egyptian and Russian-Turkish relations respectively, and the situation in the region, including the Syrian settlement. The Russian leader’s one-day foreign tour will take place amid the success in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, terror group, outlawed in Russia). On December 6, the Russian president said terrorists had been fully defeated on both banks of the Euphrates in Syria. He noted that there could still be some isolated pockets of resistance. However, by and large, combat operations on this territory are over, he said, adding that it is necessary go over to the political settlement process in that country. The Israeli-Palestinian crisis in light of Washington’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is expected to be discussed as well. Putin last visited Egypt in February 2015 and Turkey - in September 2017. Visit to Egypt According to the Kremlin press service, during Putin’s talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the parties will discuss the development of bilateral political, trade and economic cooperation along with the ties in the energy sector and the humanitarian area. "They will also exchange views on the key aspects of the international agenda, above all, on ensuring stability and security in the Middle East and North Africa," the press service reported. A week before the visit, on December 4, the two presidents had a telephone conversation, during which they expressed satisfaction with the achievements to eliminate terrorists in Syria and highlighted the importance of consolidating efforts to promote the inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue. Putin and el-Sisi also discussed the situation in Libya and the Middle East settlement. Turkey: Middle East and bilateral issues The Kremlin press service reported that Putin will also pay a visit to Turkey on Monday, where he will meet with that country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Kremlin stressed that "[the two leaders] will exchange views on the key international issues, including the situation in the Middle East and the Syrian settlement." In a telephone conversation initiated by the Turkish side on Thursday, December 7, the Russian and Turkish presidents voiced profound concern over the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and plans to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. They also noted the inadmissibility of further escalation of tensions in the region. The issue is expected to be the key one for the Turkish side. Last week, the Turkish president invited the leaders of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member-countries to an emergency summit in Istanbul scheduled for December 13 to develop a unified response to Washington’s decision. The status of Jerusalem is one of the key issues of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Israel established control over the eastern part of the city during the 1967 conflict. It insists that Jerusalem is its single and indivisible capital, while the Palestinians want to make the eastern part of the city the capital of their state. According to the Turkish media, other important issues at the talks will be the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and the political settlement process in that country. The agenda of the upcoming meeting also includes economic cooperation between Russia and Turkey. "During the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it is planned to discuss urgent issues related to bilateral cooperation, above all, the implementation of major joint energy projects," the press service noted. Putin and Erdogan last met in Sochi on November 22 during the trilateral summit on Syria with the participation of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Prior to that, the two leaders held bilateral talks in Sochi during the Turkish president’s visit on November 13. Read more