ANKARA, August 21. /TASS/. A meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is unlikely to take place in Turkey, a source in Ankara told TASS.
"At the moment we can say that holding such a summit in Turkey is unlikely. There is a possibility that Erdogan may visit Russia if there is an opportunity and the conditions are right. But there is no clear decision on this yet. This is a possibility," the source said.
At the same time, as the press service of the Turkish leader told TASS, there is no certainty about the plans to hold talks between the leaders at the moment; the Turkish presidential administration promises to "inform the media as soon as there are details."
Erdogan himself said in late July that he hoped to meet Putin in August in Turkey. He later reiterated that such plans were still in the works. The A Haber TV channel also reported on the possibility of such a meeting on August 12, specifying that the talks could take place before the end of August. The TV channel said that Erdogan was waiting for Putin in Turkey, but that there was also an option for the Turkish leader to travel to Russia.
On August 16, the Shot Telegram channel reported, citing sources, that Putin and Erdogan could meet on August 31, without specifying the location of the talks.
On August 3, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the venue and exact date of the meeting between the two presidents would be coordinated through diplomatic channels. A day earlier, Peskov said that "the place of the meeting will be negotiated, it is not necessarily Turkey." Putin pointed out that now is the time when he has to be in the country, so it is difficult for him to make any visits, Peskov added.