Putin heads to Turkey for talks

Ties between Russia and Turkey are growing closer than ever, as Russia runs into widespread diplomatic fallout from the poisoned spy scandal and Turkey’s relations with its Western allies worsens over human rights issues and its military operations against Kurdish militia in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin heads back to Turkey on Tuesday, joining Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for a Russian-made nuclear power plant being built on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast at Akkuyu. On Wednesday, Putin, Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are expected to hold a summit in Ankara to discuss Syria’s future.

Turkey and Russia have put aside their traditional rivalries and differences on regional issues to forge strong economic ties. In December, they finalised an agreement for Turkey to purchase Russia’s long-range S-400 missile defence system, a deal that raised eyebrows among some of Turkey’s Nato allies. Aside from the power plant, the two countries are also building the Turkstream pipeline to transport Russian gas to Turkey.

Their warming relations come as ties between EU nations and Turkey have become increasingly testy.

Turkey’s relations with the US have fared even worse, with Ankara accusing Washington of harbouring Fethullah Gulen, and backing Syrian Kurdish militia that Turkey considers to be terrorists. AP

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