UPDATE - Turkish, Russian presidents meet in Ankara

UPDATES WITH DURATION OF MEETING AND BACKGROUND

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday met in the Turkish capital Ankara.

The meeting, which was closed to the media, started at 7.45 p.m. local time (1645GMT) at the Presidential Complex and lasted an hour.

The leaders are thought to have discussed bilateral relations and regional and international developments, particularly Syria.

After meeting Erdogan, Putin and his delegation are due to be hosted at a banquet followed by a joint news conference.

The last time the two leaders met in person was in the Russian resort of Sochi on Nov. 22, when they held a summit on Syria with Iran.