Turkey, Russia eye cooperation in space industry

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia and Turkey are preparing a bilateral agreement for cooperation in the space industry, according to the Russian space agency on Wednesday.

The agreement is expected to lay "a solid foundation for the further successful cooperation between countries in the field of space," Russian TASS news agency quoted Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities as saying.

Roscosmos welcomed Turkey's interest in developing bilateral cooperation with Russia in the space industry and said it is ready for full cooperation with the Turkish side.

"Our countries have already built strong business contacts in the space sector. We have been discussing the possibility of implementing individual space projects for quite a long time, and with the creation of the National Space Agency in Turkey, our dialogue is reaching a new level.

"We are always happy to work with Turkish colleagues and look forward to obtaining their proposals for the development of joint space projects," it said.

On Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled the program, a roadmap which he said was based on realistic and competitive goals.

The program was prepared and will be carried out by the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), outlining Turkey's 10-year vision, strategies, objectives, and projects on space policy.