Russian, Turkish foreign ministers to talk Syria, anti-IS fight in Sochi

MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is due to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Feridun Sinirlioglu in Russia’s Black Sea resort Sochi on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said. The sides are expected to discuss a broad range of bilateral and international issues, including the Syrian crisis and the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group, and the unprecedented flow of refugees to Europe. The meeting will take place at the initiative of Turkey. "Russia and Turkey have similar approaches to many regional issues," the ministry said. "Of course, there are also differences in the stances of the sides. We plan to continue the constructive dialogue." Lavrov and Sinirlioglu will also "discuss in detail the topical issues of bilateral relations," and are expected to focus on the prospects of developing trade and economic ties. The ministry said over the past years the relations between Russia and Turkey have been marked by diversified cooperation in many areas. The Turkish-Russia high level cooperation council established in 2010 has "withstood the test of time," it said. Last year, the Russian-Turkish trade turnover reached $31.6 billion, a 3.5 percent decrease, year on year. In the first seven months of the year, the figure was estimated at $14.4 billion, a 21.5 percent decline. The ministry said this comes due to the unfavorable economic environment, the plunging oil prices and the ruble depreciation. "Amid the West’s sanctions pressure against Russia, the Russian-Turkish cooperation in the trade and economic sphere should gain a new impetus," it said. The respective agencies of the two countries are working on increasing the supplies of Turkey’s foodstuffs to Russia. Read more