ISTANBUL, December 14. /TASS/. The crisis in the Gaza Strip, the settlement in Ukraine and bilateral projects are expected to be the main topics on the agenda of Russian President Vladimir Putin's planned visit to Turkey, a source in the diplomatic circles of Turkey told TASS, commenting on the Russian leader's remarks about his plans to visit the republic.

During the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference, Putin said that he had recently planned an official visit to Turkey, but "President [Tayyip] Erdogan could not manage [to coordinate it] into his schedule." He added that he planned to meet with his Turkish counterpart in early 2024.

"The visit is possible almost any time, the upcoming local elections [in Turkey] in March will not hinder it. The presidents have a lot to discuss after their last face-to-face meeting in September. The main things are, of course, the crisis in Gaza, which requires active efforts by global powers to resolve it as soon as possible, the settlement in Ukraine, the Syrian issue, and the situation in the Caucasus. The agenda will certainly include issues of economic cooperation between the two countries, the implementation of joint projects, in particular the Akkuyu NPP, the creation of an international gas hub on Turkish territory, and grain supplies to poor countries in Africa," the agency's source said.

Putin and Erdogan last met face-to-face in Sochi on September 4 and have regular phone calls.