Erdogan to visit Russia on Aug 9

2 Turkish generals detained

MOSCOW, July 26, (Agencies): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Russia on Aug 9 for his first face-to-face meeting with President Vladimir Putin since Moscow and Ankara mended ties damaged by the downing of a Russian jet last year, Turkish officials said Tuesday.

“The ambassador has informed us that our dear president (Erdogan) has confirmed that he will be in Saint Petersburg on Aug 9,” Russian news agencies quoted Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek as saying.

An official in Turkey confirmed the date, saying that Erdogan and Putin had agreed to meet ahead of the G20 summit in China in September.

Simsek is the highest ranking Turkish official to visit Russia since the November downing of the Russian jet on the Syrian border sparked an unprecedented crisis in relations.

Meanwhile, two Turkish generals serving in Afghanistan and a former Istanbul governor have been detained as part of a crackdown in the wake of Turkey’s July 15 failed coup.

The two generals were caught in Dubai, while the governor, Husayin Avni Mutlu, who served from 20102014, was detained in Istanbul, an official at the office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations on speaking to the press.