FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meet on the sidelines of the 6th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA), in Astana, Kazakhstan October 13, 2022. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo
Following meetings with Ukrainian officials last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will welcome his Turkish colleague for a two-day visit beginning Thursday, according to Moscow.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also scheduled to visit Russia shortly to discuss resurrecting a pact that would allow secure grain exports over the Black Sea with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told reporters that Lavrov and Hakan Fidan will talk about “the situation in the region, particularly in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and Transcaucasia.”
Erdogan has attempted to pull the two parties into official peace negotiations by using his strong relations with Moscow and Kiev.
NATO member Turkey helped negotiate the only major agreement signed by the warring sides since the start of the conflict last year – a deal to ship grain from three Ukrainian ports across the Black Sea.
