Erdogan: "Turkish-Russian relations are expanding into new areas"

Relations between Turkey and Russia, based on roots going back decades, are swiftly improving, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. "Longstanding Turkish-Russian relations are taking confident steps toward the future, diversifying into the fields of the economy, politics, the military and culture," he told the Turkish-Russian Business Forum in Moscow, co-organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM), and Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB). Following a high-level cooperation council meeting yesterday co-chaired with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow, Erdogan said Turkey would proceed with its nuclear energy program despite the unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan, starting with the Akkuyu nuclear power plant set to be built by Russia. "We want to start this as soon as possible. Everything is ready," he added. Also speaking at the forum, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said the Akkuyu plant will be the "best of its kind in the world." Erdogan also stressed that Turkey wants to boost its trade with Russia to $100 billion by the end of 2015, and that the upcoming visa-free regime between the two countries is expected to help this goal.