17 September 2018•Update: 17 September 2018
By Ilkay Guder
SOCHI, Russia
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met on Monday in the coastal city of Sochi.
The closed-door meeting at the Russian presidential residence lasted around an hour and 50 minutes.
Erdogan is accompanied by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan, head of National Intelligence Service (MIT) Hakan Fidan, Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and Presidency Communications Director Fahrettin Altun.
Among the Russian delegation are Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak, Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Before the meeting, Erdogan said the cooperation between Turkey and Russia would "be hope to the region".
Exchanging views on political, military and economic issues will strengthen both Turkey and Russia, Erdogan added.
"I believe that not only of our region, but also the eyes of the whole world are now on Sochi," said Erdogan, adding that the results of Sochi talks will bring new hope to the region.
Putin, for his part, said Turkey-Russia relations "are developing positively."
"In terms of trade, it's growing intensely. Our relations are also improving in terms of regional security," Putin added.
Relations between Turkey and Russia, economy and energy issues, as well as regional and international issues, particularly Syria, were among the topics expected to be discussed.
