Work between the two countries on the S400 will end this week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Ankara. He also said that the two countries have similar positions regarding the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by the United States. For his part, the Russian President said that the US decision caused instability in the region while he mentioned for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant off the coast of Cyprus that the works have started.
Specifically, in the press conference, the Turkish President stated that this is the eighth time they meet this year and that Turkey-Russia relations are strengthening with each passing day. He said the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital had sparked outrage around the world and that he and his counterpart Putin had similar views on the issue.
The Turkish President said that they also discussed the Syrian issue and had the opportunity to evaluate the issues discussed in Sochi, while noting that their second step is to hold negotiations soon. They discussed the additional steps they can take to contribute to the negotiations that will take place.
Regarding the S400, the Turkish President said that this week the representatives of the two countries will do the necessary work and complete this issue. He said that this close relationship between Turkey and Russia is important for the stability of the region.
For his part, the Russian President said that they discussed the Syrian issue and that the two countries have close cooperation. He added that the cooperation is really developing successfully, while he said that from January to September the trade volume of the two countries increased by 36%. As he said, all this was done thanks to the joint decisions. The Russian President also said that work has begun on the establishment of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey and that the Turkish Stream pipeline is proceeding normally. On Syria, he said they discussed the steps taken in the Sochi talks on November 22nd. Regarding the US decision on Jerusalem, he said that it had caused instability in the region and that it could sabotage the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The Russian President said that he was also informed about the meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference that will take place in two days in Istanbul, while describing today's meeting as positive.