Russian-Turkish relations do not depend on Western sanctions pressure and have gained strategic importance long before the introduction of illegitimate restrictions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
"Relations between Russia and Turkey are valuable and self-sufficient. They do not depend on anyone's aggressive, unfriendly actions, do not depend on anyone's whims. They are based on the national interests of each of our countries and on the determination to cooperate mutually beneficial through the search for a balance of these interests, " the Minister said, answering the relevant question. "Our relations gained strategic importance long before the West began to threaten and impose its illegitimate unilateral sanctions."
At the same time, Lavrov stressed that Russia and Turkey pursue an independent foreign policy and promote their interests in coordination, observing their balance. "Thus, [Russia and Turkey] cause discontent among those in the West who want to use methods of unfair competition in all areas, whether it is the economy, energy, military-technical cooperation or other areas," the Russian Foreign Minister added.
The date of the high-level Cooperation Council, headed by the Presidents of Russia and Turkey, will be determined additionally, Lavrov said. "In general, in our common opinion, today's meeting of our Joint Strategic Planning Group allowed us to clearly identify the issues that need to be resolved in the near future for the high-quality preparation of the high-level Cooperation Council, which is headed by our presidents. The date of this summit will be determined later. So we will continue a close dialogue in the coming year," he said.
Turkish Stream and Akkuyu NPP
Major Russian-Turkish projects, such as the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, will be implemented on time, despite the pandemic, Lavrov said.
The Russian minister said that he had discussed with his Turkish counterpart the implementation of major joint projects, including the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant. "Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the relevant processes were slowed down, but now they are gaining momentum again, and we are confident that all of them will be implemented in a timely manner," he said.
Turkish Stream, which was launched on January 8, 2020, runs along the bottom of the Black Sea from the territory of Russia to the coast of Turkey. Then there is a land transit line to the border with neighboring countries, from where gas is already exported to Greece, Bulgaria, and Northern Macedonia. In the future (after the completion of the entire infrastructure), gas will go to Serbia and Hungary. The capacity of the 930 km gas pipeline is 31.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
The project for the construction of the first Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey is being implemented by Akkuyu Nuclear on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement signed between the Russian Federation and Turkey in May 2010. When completed, the plant with an installed capacity of 4,800 MW will generate about 35 billion kWh per year.
The development of military and technical cooperation
Moscow and Ankara confirm their focus on continuing military-technical cooperation, despite pressure from Washington, Lavrov said. "We have confirmed our mutual focus on the development of military-technical cooperation. We appreciate it, as the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has repeatedly noted, the principled attitude of our Turkish colleagues to continue cooperation in this area, despite the ongoing illegitimate pressure from Washington, which openly lobbies the interests of American manufacturers using non-market, illegitimate methods, " he said.
On December 14, the US authorities announced the introduction of restrictions against the head of the Defense Industry Department of Turkey, Ismail Demir, and three other citizens of the republic within the framework of the law "On Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions" (CAATSA). The reason is Ankara's purchase of the S-400 and its unwillingness to abandon the use of these systems.
The situation in Syria
The tasks in the Idlib de-escalation zone are being solved, but Russia and Turkey would like their implementation to take place faster, Lavrov said. "We talked about how to implement the agreements of our presidents on the implementation of all tasks in the Idlib de-escalation zone. These tasks are being solved, we would like it to happen faster, " he said.
Lavrov added that the parties "continue to pay special attention to the political track" in Syria. "We will continue to support the work of the Constitutional Committee [of Syria], including taking into account the upcoming fifth session of its drafting commission at the end of January, which should start working on the Syrian constitution," he said.
The Russian Foreign Minister noted the importance of solving humanitarian problems. During the talks, Turkey was informed about the international conference on refugees and internally displaced persons convened in Damascus with the support of the Russian diplomatic service.
On October 22, 2019, the Presidents of the Russian Federation and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan, at a meeting in Sochi, adopted a memorandum on joint actions to resolve the situation in the north-east of Syria. According to the document, Russian military police and Syrian forces were deployed in areas bordering the Turkish security zone. On November 1 of the same year, the Russian and Turkish military began joint patrols east of the Euphrates River.
The fight against the pandemic
Moscow values cooperation with Ankara in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and expects to continue such cooperation. The Russian Foreign Minister said that he had discussed with his Turkish counterpart ensuring a safe holiday for Russian tourists in the resorts of Turkey. "We appreciate the steps that our Turkish colleagues are taking to this end," he said.
As Lavrov pointed out, Moscow is interested in continuing cooperation with Ankara in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. "We have confirmed our appreciation for the cooperation that was shown during the return of our citizens from Turkey in the spring of this year, and for the way the Turkish authorities provided the most comfortable conditions for our diplomatic institutions in Turkey," he stressed.
Access to Hagia Sophia
According to Lavrov, Russia sees Turkey's readiness to support the Hagia Sophia and the Church of Christ the Saviour, which have been granted the status of mosques, in the proper form and ensure access to them for citizens of all faiths. "We noted the readiness of our Turkish colleagues, which has been repeatedly confirmed, to support St. Sophia in Istanbul and the Church of Christ the Saviour, which are included in the list of world cultural heritage sites, in an appropriate form and to ensure access of citizens of all faiths to these iconic shrines," he said.
On July 10, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree according to which Muslim services were resumed at the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul-a monument of Byzantine architecture erected in 532-537 on the instructions of Emperor Justinian, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. A number of local Christian churches, including the Russian Orthodox Church, expressed regret over the decision. The same reaction came from UNESCO.
On August 21, Turkey granted the status of a mosque to the Khora Monastery in Istanbul. For Muslim worship, the church of St. Saviour in Chora, which is part of this monastery, is open.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS