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Turkey and Russia's alienation from the West for different reasons have brought them together in an odd friendship focused on boosting economic ties.
Putin arrived in Ankara on Monday to attend the fifth meeting of the Turkey-Russia High Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which was formed in May of 2010.
After the visit of Pope Francis to Turkey over the weekend, the Russian president became the second high-level foreign dignitary to be received at the new presidential palace, “Ak Saray” (white palace).
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız welcomed Putin and 10 Russian ministers accompanying Putin at Ankara Esenboğa Airport.
Putin visited Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, before proceeding to the presidential palace under heavy security measures. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed Putin at the front gate of his palace as he did when welcoming the pope last week and Putin was greeted with an official welcoming ceremony.
The two leaders then had an hour-and-a-half-long meeting.
Summit of ‘precious loneliness'
The BBC Turkish news service ran a commentary calling the meeting between Putin and Erdoğan a “summit of precious loneliness,” clearly referencing Deputy Secretary-General of the Presidency İbrahim Kalın's remarks praising Turkey's stance on certain international issues and characterizing it as “precious loneliness.”
The commentary by the BBC's Suat Taşpınar pointed out that both countries are having great problems with their respective international relations and do not take kindly to any criticism coming from the West.
Putin and Erdoğan are often compared to each other by the Western press for drifting toward authoritarianism.
The German Focus magazine likened Putin's meeting with Erdoğan to a “tsar and a sultan's meeting.”
Putin's visit is a “timely psychological boost” for both Russia and Turkey at a time when both countries feel somewhat isolated in their wider regions, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Adana deputy Faruk Loğoğlu told Today's Zaman last week.
Giving credit to both Turkey and Russia, Loğoğlu said both countries have “wisely” decided not to allow their differences to disrupt bilateral relations. Turkey is pushing for the removal of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria as it views the Assad regime as being responsible for the emergence of radical groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Russia, however, supports the Syrian regime and is opposed to any move to topple Assad.
Gas price discount
Ankara is demanding a price reduction for the natural gas that it purchases from Russia, which provides most of Turkey's gas. Russia is also set to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant in Akkuyu in Mersin province in southern Turkey. Turkey has many construction firms in Russia and millions of Russian tourists travel to Turkey every year.
Turkey's request for discounted natural gas was addressed by Putin, who announced that Russia would reduce the gas price for Turkey by 6 percent, starting next year, and had agreed to supply Turkey with an additional 3 billion cubic meters.
Last year, 13.7 bcm of gas were pumped to Turkey via Blue Stream.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Erdoğan on Monday, Putin also said that Russia could not carry on with the South Stream gas pipeline project if the European Union was opposed to it. He cited reluctance by the European Commission to grant the green light to the project to supply southern Europe with gas via Bulgaria, bypassing Ukraine.
The planned $40 billion Gazprom-led pipeline was supposed to cross the Black Sea to southern Europe via Bulgaria and had been intended to start supplying gas next year.
Western powers have introduced economic sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict and Europe is keen to lower its dependence on Russian gas supplies.
"We see that obstacles are being set up to prevent its fulfilment," Putin said. "If Europe does not want to carry it out, then it will not be carried out...We think this is against Europe's economic interests and is causing damage."
Putin said Bulgaria was under pressure from the European Union, which gets a third of its gas volumes from Russia.
"If Bulgaria is deprived of the possibility of behaving like a sovereign state, let them demand the money for the lost profit from the European Commission," he said.
To avoid disruption of supplies and to bypass Ukraine, Russia has built the Nord Stream gas pipeline directly to Germany across the Baltic Sea.
He said Russia was potentially ready to build a gas hub on the Turkish-Greek border to supply Europe with gas to compensate for the loss of South Stream.
"We are ready to not only expand the Blue Stream, but to build another pipeline system to supply the growing demand of the Turkish economy, and if it is deemed justified, to set up an additional gas hub for the South European consumers on Turkish territory, near the border with Greece," he said.
Putin focuses on economic ties during Turkey visit
Putin arrived in Ankara on Monday to attend the fifth meeting of the Turkey-Russia High Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which was formed in May of 2010.
After the visit of Pope Francis to Turkey over the weekend, the Russian president became the second high-level foreign dignitary to be received at the new presidential palace, “Ak Saray” (white palace).
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız welcomed Putin and 10 Russian ministers accompanying Putin at Ankara Esenboğa Airport.
Putin visited Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, before proceeding to the presidential palace under heavy security measures. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed Putin at the front gate of his palace as he did when welcoming the pope last week and Putin was greeted with an official welcoming ceremony.
The two leaders then had an hour-and-a-half-long meeting.
Summit of ‘precious loneliness'
The BBC Turkish news service ran a commentary calling the meeting between Putin and Erdoğan a “summit of precious loneliness,” clearly referencing Deputy Secretary-General of the Presidency İbrahim Kalın's remarks praising Turkey's stance on certain international issues and characterizing it as “precious loneliness.”
The commentary by the BBC's Suat Taşpınar pointed out that both countries are having great problems with their respective international relations and do not take kindly to any criticism coming from the West.
Putin and Erdoğan are often compared to each other by the Western press for drifting toward authoritarianism.
The German Focus magazine likened Putin's meeting with Erdoğan to a “tsar and a sultan's meeting.”
Putin's visit is a “timely psychological boost” for both Russia and Turkey at a time when both countries feel somewhat isolated in their wider regions, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Adana deputy Faruk Loğoğlu told Today's Zaman last week.
Giving credit to both Turkey and Russia, Loğoğlu said both countries have “wisely” decided not to allow their differences to disrupt bilateral relations. Turkey is pushing for the removal of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria as it views the Assad regime as being responsible for the emergence of radical groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Russia, however, supports the Syrian regime and is opposed to any move to topple Assad.
Gas price discount
Ankara is demanding a price reduction for the natural gas that it purchases from Russia, which provides most of Turkey's gas. Russia is also set to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant in Akkuyu in Mersin province in southern Turkey. Turkey has many construction firms in Russia and millions of Russian tourists travel to Turkey every year.
Turkey's request for discounted natural gas was addressed by Putin, who announced that Russia would reduce the gas price for Turkey by 6 percent, starting next year, and had agreed to supply Turkey with an additional 3 billion cubic meters.
Last year, 13.7 bcm of gas were pumped to Turkey via Blue Stream.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Erdoğan on Monday, Putin also said that Russia could not carry on with the South Stream gas pipeline project if the European Union was opposed to it. He cited reluctance by the European Commission to grant the green light to the project to supply southern Europe with gas via Bulgaria, bypassing Ukraine.
The planned $40 billion Gazprom-led pipeline was supposed to cross the Black Sea to southern Europe via Bulgaria and had been intended to start supplying gas next year.
Western powers have introduced economic sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict and Europe is keen to lower its dependence on Russian gas supplies.
"We see that obstacles are being set up to prevent its fulfilment," Putin said. "If Europe does not want to carry it out, then it will not be carried out...We think this is against Europe's economic interests and is causing damage."
Putin said Bulgaria was under pressure from the European Union, which gets a third of its gas volumes from Russia.
"If Bulgaria is deprived of the possibility of behaving like a sovereign state, let them demand the money for the lost profit from the European Commission," he said.
To avoid disruption of supplies and to bypass Ukraine, Russia has built the Nord Stream gas pipeline directly to Germany across the Baltic Sea.
He said Russia was potentially ready to build a gas hub on the Turkish-Greek border to supply Europe with gas to compensate for the loss of South Stream.
"We are ready to not only expand the Blue Stream, but to build another pipeline system to supply the growing demand of the Turkish economy, and if it is deemed justified, to set up an additional gas hub for the South European consumers on Turkish territory, near the border with Greece," he said.
Putin focuses on economic ties during Turkey visit
