Erdoğan, Putin meet at Central Asian summit to boost energy, tourism ties

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as they visited Kazakhstan for a session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on July 3.

The SCO, established in 2001 by China and Russia, serves as a platform to address security concerns in central Asia and beyond.

The bloc's members include Iran, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt participate as observer states and dialogue partners.

Erdoğan was due to engage in several bilateral meetings in the capital Astana, with Putin among the key leaders he conferred with.

Discussions were anticipated to cover a broad spectrum of topics, from energy and trade to tourism and bilateral, regional and global issues.

In remarks to the media prior to his meeting with Putin, Erdoğan said they will "take serious steps" regarding nuclear power plants.

Türkiye's first nuclear power plant in Mersin is being constructed by Russia's state atomic energy company, Rosatom. Erdoğan also mentioned plans for a second nuclear plant in Sinop.

The president highlighted the significance of Russian tourism to Türkiye.

"Our sincerity on this issue continues with the same determination," he said. "We will continue in the same way, as long as Russian tourists are satisfied with Türkiye."

Putin remarked on the steady development of bilateral relations "despite various challenges across the world."

"Our strategic projects are being implemented in a planned manner," he said.

The Ukraine war, Israel's attacks in Gaza and fight against terrorism were among the topics of discussion, according to Erdoğan's office.

During the meeting, Erdoğan said Türkiye is determined...