|
ANKARA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia's city of St. Petersburg on August 9, Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.
The meeting will be the first face to face meeting for the two leaders since Moscow and Ankara started to mend ties damaged by the downing of a Russian jet last year, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said in Moscow.
Simsek said the two countries wanted to normalize relations "as quickly as possible."
It will be Erdogan's first announced trip abroad since the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, the Hurriyet Daily News commented.
Putin called Erdogan on July 17, a day after security forces quashed a coup attempt, telling the Turkish president that "Russia found anti-constitutional acts and violence unacceptable and is hoping for the restoration of order and stability in Turkey."
