Russia and Turkey are actively working on preparing a bilateral intergovernmental agreement to develop cooperation in the space industry, the Roscosmos press service told TASS on Wednesday.
"Active work is currently underway to prepare a bilateral intergovernmental framework document, which will lay a solid foundation for further successful development of cooperation between the countries in the field of space activities," Roscosmos noted.
The state corporation stressed that they welcome the statements of Turkish colleagues about the interest in increasing bilateral cooperation with Russia in the field of space and confirmed their readiness to discuss the possibilities of launching full-fledged specialized cooperation with the Turkish side.
"Our countries have already built strong business contacts in the space sector. We have been discussing the possibility of implementing individual space projects for quite a long time and our dialogue moves to a new level due to the creation of our own national space agency in Turkey", Roscosmos says.
Head of the Space Agency of Turkey Serdar Huseyin Yildirim stated on the eve that Turkey is interested in cooperation with Russia in the space industry. According to Yildirim, in the next few months, Ankara plans to agree with the Russian Federation "on concrete areas of possible cooperation". He stressed that Russia plays a very important role in the space industry.
Cooperation proposals
Roscosmos is waiting for specific proposals from Turkey on cooperation in the space industry, including in the framework of sending their astronaut into space.
"We always welcome the opportunity to work more closely with our Turkish colleagues and expect to receive specific proposals from them in the near future on the development of joint space projects, including the training of space flight participants and the organization of a manned space mission in the interests of Turkey," the state corporation said.
In May 2018, it became known about Turkey's plans to launch its own astronaut training program after 2023. In August 2019, it was reported that Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin during a visit to the MAKS air show by Russian and Turkish presidents Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan offered the Turkish leader to organize the sending of a Turkish astronaut to the ISS.
The day before the head of the Space Agency of Turkey Serdar Hussein Yildirim said that Turkey will most likely use the Russian ship "Soyuz" for the flight of its astronaut.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Roscosmos
Based on materials from TASS