Putin, Erdogan to hold bilateral meeting in Istanbul

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will meet on the sidelines of the upcoming Istanbul Summit on Syria, according to a top Russian diplomat on Tuesday.

The two leaders will hold a separate bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Oct. 27 summit, Andrey Buravov, deputy director of the European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry said at the 3rd international conference on "Russia and Turkey: Strengthening the Multi-faceted Partnership" in Moscow.

"Another multilateral event with the participation of the presidents of our countries is being prepared in the near future, and a separate bilateral meeting is also planned in this context", he added.

On Oct.27, Putin, Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron will exchange views on Syrian issues, including the political settlement process and further steps aimed at strengthening security and stability, creating conditions for the return of refugees and rebuilding the country's socioeconomic infrastructure.

According to Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, this weekend's summit is to focus on “the Syrian conflict with all its aspects, focusing on the situation on the ground, the Idlib agreement and the political process, and to harmonize joint efforts for finding a lasting solution to the conflict.”