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Erdogan plans to discuss Ukraine, gas hub, Syria with Putin — source

The presidents are also expected to discuss the construction of Turkey's Akkuyu nuclear power plant

ANKARA, January 4. /TASS/. The settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, the project to create a gas hub in Turkey, and the situation in Syria are expected to be the key issues on the agenda of the talks between Turkish and Russian Presidents Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, a source in Ankara told TASS. The Turkish leader previously announced a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart.

"Obviously, Erdogan will discuss the situation in Ukraine, and new initiatives from Ankara in this area cannot be ruled out, given ties with the leaders of both countries. The hub project is a hot topic on the bilateral agenda - the Turkish side revealed plans to build a center for supplying natural gas to Europe and setting pricing for it during the year. The presidents are also expected to discuss the construction of Turkey's Akkuyu nuclear power plant, the first power unit of which is set to be launched this year," the source said.

According to the source, the Syrian issue will be another topic of discussion. "A trilateral meeting on Syria was held in Moscow at the end of December, and now negotiations of foreign ministers are planned, after which a meeting of the presidents of Turkey and Syria may take place, maybe with the Russia’s involvement," the source said.

Relations between Ankara and Damascus escalated after the outbreak of conflict in Syria in 2011. Diplomatic ties between the two states were severed. On December 15, Erdogan said that he had proposed to Vladimir Putin a trilateral meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. According to him, consultations between representatives of special services, defense, and foreign ministers should be held before this meeting.

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Vladimir Putin Syria Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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