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Putin, Erdogan to discuss defense cooperation at Sochi meeting — Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov declined to answer if the meeting’s agenda would include cooperation in the production of drones manufactured by Turkey’s Baykar Makina company and whether Russia sought that kind of cooperation

MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey will discuss defense cooperation at a meeting in Sochi on August 5, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

"Defense cooperation between the two countries is constantly on the agenda and the fact of cooperation in such a sensitive field makes it clear that the entire range of our relations remains at quite a high level," Peskov pointed out.

He confirmed that "the two presidents touched upon various aspects of defense cooperation in their recent contacts." "As a rule, various aspects are discussed at almost every meeting so defense cooperation will definitely be discussed in Sochi," the Russian presidential spokesman noted.

However, he declined to answer if the meeting’s agenda would include cooperation in the production of drones manufactured by Turkey’s Baykar Makina company and whether Russia sought that kind of cooperation.

CNN Turk reported earlier that Putin had allegedly suggested that the Baykar Makina company’s facility be established in Russia.

The presidents of Russia and Turkey last met on July 19 in Tehran, which hosted a summit of the guarantors of the Astana process on Syria (Russia, Turkey, Iran). Putin and Erdogan held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the event.