Turkish-Russian ties upgraded to strategic partnership

Starting talks with top Turkish leaders as part of his landmark two-day official visit to Turkey, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev yesterday was officially welcomed by President Abdullah Gul with full military honors at the Cankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara. Gul's wife Hayrunnisa and Medvedev's wife Svetlana Medvedeva were also present during the ceremony. Medvedev had talks with President Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin. During the talks, Turkey and Russia agreed to create an intergovernmental council and signed a series of agreements, including one on mutually scrapping visa requirements for short visits, to bolster their bilateral ties, prompting visiting Medvedev to brand the relations between the two countries a "strategic partnership." "Russia and Turkey are strategic partners, not only in words but genuinely," Medvedev told a joint press conference with Erdogan. Earlier in the day, during a press conference with Gul at the Cankaya Presidential Palace, Medvedev said relations between the two countries have progressed to a "new phase" and are "multifaceted" and have a strategic dimension. Cooperation between Turkey and Russia has significantly expanded under Erdogan's government, but economic ties have been the engine of the deepening ties, with politics trying, unsuccessfully, to catch up. But in a sign of significant political momentum, the two countries agreed yesterday to launch a high-level cooperation council, an intergovernmental body led by Medvedev and Erdogan that will meet annually to review ties. "Our cooperation has grown to such an extent that it became a necessity for political leaders to oversee them," Medvedev said alongside Erdogan. "Our political contacts and consultations will increase in the future." Turkey, seeking an active role in its region, has recently established similar mechanisms with Syria, Iraq and Greece. The two sides also agreed to lift the visa requirement for their nationals for trips not exceeding 30 days, a measure that is expected to please Russians who flock to Turkey's southern holiday resorts every year. Medvedev called the agreement a "historic" one, saying it will make life easier for millions of people. "Lifting the visa requirement is pleasing for the peoples of both Russia and Turkey, and it will primarily affect tourists positively," Gul said. "Drivers and people in the transportation business will also benefit, but it is a great advantage for tourists." Among other highlights of the visit is an agreement that will allow Russian companies to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant in the southern province of Mersin. A previous tender won by a Russian consortium was cancelled by a Turkish court. The construction of the plant is expected to take seven years, Erdogan said. Medvedev and Turkish leaders also voiced readiness to boost the bilateral trade volume, currently standing at about $40 billion, to $100 billion over the next five years. Medvedev said the goal is attainable. "It's hard even to imagine, but this figure is an attainable one," he said. "Once we achieve this goal, we will be a model for Europe." Medvedev said they also agreed to work on the proposed Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline to pump Russian oil from Turkey's Black Sea coast to the Mediterranean. Discussions are also underway on cooperation regarding the Moscow-backed, Europe-bound South Stream gas pipeline. The two countries yesterday signed a total of 17 agreements covering, in addition to the visa regime and energy, areas ranging from transportation to education and combating drug trafficking.