SAMARKAND, September 16. /TASS/. Russian and Turkish Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have begun talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand.

Leaders already spoke informally on Thursday, when they took part in a ceremony of tree planting, also on the summit’s sidelines.

The presidents are expected to focus attention of the current global and regional problems, such as the situation in Ukraine and Donbass, the implementation of the Istanbul grain deal, coordination of efforts toward peace and stability in Syria and the South Caucasus.