MESOP MIDEAST WATCH: Putin Accepts Erdogan’s Invitation to Visit Turkey

28-1-2022 ERBIL — Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an official invitation by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit Turkey, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

The exact date for the visit was not yet mentioned, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov pointed out in a statement that the Russian president will head to Ankara as soon as the pandemic situation and the schedules of the two leaders allow for it.

“President Putin gratefully accepted this invitation. And they agreed that as soon as a) the epidemiological situation and b) the schedules allow, he will definitely take advantage of this invitation,” Peskov said, according to Anadolu Agency.

He also noted that there has been “a certain pause” in holding meetings of the intergovernmental commission and the High-Level Cooperation Council, which is headed by the two presidents, due to the epidemic situation.

The Kremlin spokesperson said that the topic had been discussed several times in recent presidential contacts, and that the Turkish leader said he was ready to host all these events in Turkey.

In addition to phone calls, Erdogan and Putin have also had a number of mutual visits in recent years.