Erdoğan set to meet Putin, Biden in back-to-back summits

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to engage in a series of high-stakes diplomatic meetings, starting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and followed by U.S. President Joe Biden during a busy early July itinerary.

Following the conclusion of Eid al-Adha, Erdoğan will embark on official visits to three countries.

His first stop will be Kazakhstan, where he will attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the capital Astana starting July 3.

The summit will address Türkiye's relations with SCO member states, with a particular focus on energy and trade.

Particularly, Erdoğan's meeting with Putin is expected to cover critical issues including the war in Ukraine, a key grain deal and Türkiye's first nuclear power plant in Mersin, built by Russia's state atomic energy company, Rosatom.

They are also expected to discuss the construction of a second nuclear power plant and a planned natural gas hub in Türkiye.

The SCO is also set to welcome Belarus as a full member, expanding its membership to ten.

Erdoğan then will travel to Azerbaijan on July 5 to participate in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) summit in the Shusha city. The summit's agenda includes enhancing trade activities among Turkic states and taking steps toward regional normalization.

The president's diplomatic tour will then proceed to Washington, where he will attend a NATO summit from July 9 to 11.

At the gathering, Erdoğan is expected to deliver a strong condemnation of Israel's ongoing attacks in Gaza, media reports say.

He will also hold bilateral meetings with various leaders, including a planned meeting with U.S. counterpart Joe Biden to discuss bilateral relations and global issues.

Erdoğan...