MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow will serve as preparations for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"The issues that we will discuss will lay the groundwork for the upcoming meeting between the two leaders. We will discuss the issues of resurrecting the grain deal and establishing a fair peace in Ukraine peacefully. Additionally, the situation in Syria and the South Caucasus will be on the agenda. I am grateful to my dear friend [Sergey Lavrov] for his hospitality and warm reception," he said during introductory remarks before the talks began.

Fidan reiterated that this is his first visit to Moscow as Turkey’s foreign minister. He assumed the top diplomatic post in the new government formed by Erdogan following his re-election victory in the second round of Turkey’s presidential election in June. Previously, Fidan had served as director of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) since 2010.

The Turkish authorities have not yet officially announced the date of Erdogan’s visit to Russia. Earlier, a diplomatic source told TASS that Erdogan and Putin may meet in Sochi on September 4.

On Wednesday, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin would soon officially inform the press of the dates for Erdogan’s visit to Russia.

It is expected that the agenda for the meeting between the two presidents will include the Black Sea grain deal, which Ankara would like to resurrect in its previous format, and a settlement to the conflict in Ukraine, an area where Ankara has repeatedly offered its services as a mediator.