Fidan due in Russia for Talks with Putin, Lavrov

During the visit, Fidan will be received by Russian President Vladimir Putin and will hold a meeting with Lavrov.

He is also expected to hold bilateral talks with other senior Russian officials, including Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led a delegation at the Ukraine talks held in Istanbul on May 16.

In his meetings, Fidan is expected to discuss in detail issues related to bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia.

Two key regional actors will review the current status of cooperation in key areas such as trade, energy and tourism, and evaluate potential future steps.

Fidan is expected to reiterate Turkey’s commitment to achieving lasting peace in the Ukraine war and express satisfaction with recent developments that indicate progress to this end.

He is also expected to reaffirm Turkey’s readiness to continue playing a facilitating role in the negotiations between the parties, as it did in 2022 and also on May 16.

The sides will also exchange views on regional and international issues, including Syria, Gaza and the South Caucasus.

Fidan last visited Russia in last June to attend a BRICS+ meeting.

He also accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at another summit of the organization held on Oct. 24 last year.

Fidan’s most recent meeting with Lavrov took place on April 12 on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey.

Earlier, the top diplomats held talks during Lavrov's Turkey visit on Feb. 23.

The two also held a bilateral meeting on Feb. 20 during the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.

On Oct. 18 last year, the Russian minister participated in the third meeting of the 3+3 South Caucasus Regional Cooperation Platform hosted by Fidan in Istanbul.

Source: HDN