Türkiye’s foreign minister received by Russian president

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday during a visit to Russia.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Putin received Fidan in the Russian city of Kazan.

A transcript of the opening remarks at the meeting was released by the Kremlin, in which Putin was quoted as saying that ties between Moscow and Ankara are “developing steadily.”

“We are very pleased about this,” Putin said in the meeting also attended by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and presidential aide Yury Ushakov.

Putin said contacts between their countries have long ceased to be purely formal and are “truly friendly, constantly gaining new meaning.”

He said this was largely due to the position taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and asked Fidan to convey his best wishes to him, as well as expressing that they are always happy to see him in Russia.

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to meet with you on the sidelines of today’s event and discuss current issues of interest to both our countries,” Putin added.

Fidan conveyed Erdoğan’s “warmest greetings” to Putin, and added: “Indeed, our region and the world have a very busy international agenda, and your experience in this regard is invaluable. There are many issues we need to discuss.”