Russian President Vladimir Putin is to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Sochi this Friday.
Putin and Erdogan may discuss the accession of Turkey to BRICS, but there are no special plans in this regard, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"As for BRICS, it cannot be ruled out [that Turkey's accession will be discussed], but there are no special plans in this regard today," Peskov told reporters.
"In accordance with the agreements reached at the bilateral meeting of the presidents in Tehran on July 19, it is planned to discuss in detail Russian-Turkish multifaceted cooperation, including the prospects for further expansion of trade and economic ties and the implementation of joint strategic projects in the energy sector. It is also planned to continue the exchange of opinions on topical issues of the international agenda," the Kremlin said in a statement ahead of the meeting.
Putin and Erdogan are expected to discuss the implementation of the UN-mediated grain deal that was signed by Moscow and Kiev in Istanbul earlier this month, as well as the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.
A new anti-terrorist operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in northern Syria will be one of the issues discussed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with his Russian counterpart at the talks in Sochi, added Anadolu news agency.
It emphasized that the second meeting of the two leaders in the last 17 days may focus on the situation in Ukraine and the implementation of the 'grain deal'.
On July 22, after four-way negotiations in Istanbul brokered by the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with the United Nations and Turkey, resulting in agreements to resume grain exports in the Black Sea through three Ukrainian ports. The agreements also cleared the way for Russian food and fertilizers to reach global markets, in what was hailed as an effort to stabilize surging food prices worldwide amid the ongoing Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
"Against the background of the departure of the first dry cargo ship with Ukrainian grain from the ports of Odessa, the leaders of Turkey and the Russian Federation will discuss steps to eliminate problems on the way to the effectiveness of the "grain corridor ", emphasized the Turkish news agency.
Finally, the leaders of Turkey and Russia will discuss expanding trade between the two countries, developing cooperation, ‘including in the fields of energy and defense, as well as the implementation of strategic projects,’ the agency concluded.
Earlier, the Turkish President raised the prospect of another operation against Syrian Kurdish fighters, which Ankara considers terrorists.
“We are determined to eradicate the evil groups that target our national security from Syria,” he reiterated ahead of a trilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Iran's capital.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had hosted the 7th Summit of Astana guarantor-states in Tehran, with the participation of Russian and Turkish leaders, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who discussed ways to end the decades-old Syrian conflict. Erdogan had expressed hope that Russia and Iran would help counter terrorist groups in Syria.
“We expect Russia and Iran, as guarantors of the Astana process, to express support for these efforts to Turkey," Erdogan said, referring to the Kurdish militia.
“America has to leave east of the Euphrates now. This is an outcome that came out of the Astana process,” Erdogan said following the trilateral summit, according to the state-owned Anadolu Agency.
"It is America that feeds the terrorist groups there," he said, referring to the People’s Defense Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia that forms the core of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that the US forces in eastern Syria support as a proxy force, denying control over the oil-rich region to the Syrian government in Damascus. However, Washington claims it supports the SDF as part of the fight against Daesh*.
"It must be clearly understood that there is no room for separatist terrorism and its extensions in the future of our region," Erdogan underscored.
Official Damascus has repeatedly described the Turkish forces deployed at the border area of Syria to carry out operations against Kurdish militia as illegal and called on Ankara to withdraw its troops.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states