BREAKING: PUTIN TO VISIT TURKEY

20240205 214826

Turkey announced it would take place soon and will be the first time Putin has visited a NATO country since the invasion of Ukraine.

Erdogan and Putin are expected to discuss energy, grain shipments, and security in Syria and the situation in Ukraine.

Turkey is also not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC, so Putin can travel to Turkey without fear of being arrested under the warrant.

Turkey, which shares a maritime border with both Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, has sought to maintain good ties with both nations since Moscow's full-scale invasion. It has provided military support to Kyiv and voiced support for its territorial integrity, but also opposes sanctions on Russia.

Ankara has sought to convince Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to provide protected exports from Ukrainian ports after Moscow withdrew last July following a year of implementation.

Erdogan has said alternatives to the deal could not provide a lasting solution. While Kyiv has said talks were underway for a revival of the deal, Moscow has said it was not interested in reinstating it.

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkey and Ukraine signed an accord to allow Turkish construction firms to take part in reconstructing Ukrainian infrastructure damaged by the war with Russia.

Turkey has close economic ties with Russia, particularly in tourism, gas supplies, grain and other agricultural trade, which makes Western countries uneasy. However, the two have also been at loggerheads over conflicts in Syria and Libya, where they back opposing sides, as well as over tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the South Caucasus.

Separately, Erdogan will travel to Egypt on Feb. 14, the Turkish official said, after the two countries upgraded their diplomatic relations by appointing ambassadors last year following a decade of tension.

Source: Bloomberg

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