The two leaders will attend the Top-Level Cooperation Council meeting, which will pave the way for deeper Russia-Turkey relations. Putin and Ergodan are expected to cover a wide range of issues concerning trade-economic cooperation.
Russia is one of Turkey's main trading partners. In 2013, bilateral trade between the countries reached $32.7 billion.
Putin also said that he appreciated Turkey not following the west in adopting sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis. He added that Russia welcomes Turkey's goal to increase food exports to Russia, following Moscow's retaliatory measures to western sanctions, which banned certain food imports from the European Union, United States, Canada, Australia and Norway.
Russia is the main supplier of natural gas to Turkey. In 2013, Russia delivered 26.7 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey. In 2014, Russian gas delivery volumes to Turkey are expected to increase and reach 30 billion cubic meters.
The Russian president is also supposed to address international issues, including the Syrian crisis, during his visit. This is one of the most relevant and important topics for both Moscow and Ankara, presidential aide Yury Ushakov told journalists ahead of Putin's visit to Turkey.
