Russia expects ‘high dynamic’ in projects with Türkiye to continue after Erdogan win

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia on Monday said it expects the “high dynamic” in the implementation of joint projects with Türkiye to continue after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's win in the presidential runoff election.

"There is already a fairly high dynamic in the implementation of joint Russian-Turkish projects. Of course, we expect this dynamic to continue, because the tasks are indeed very ambitious," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow.

Peskov said a telephone conversation between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin is being coordinated, and a face-to-face meeting may also take place, without elaborating on further details.

According to unofficial results, Erdogan won Sunday's race with 52.14% of the vote, while opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu got 47.86%.

Earlier, Putin congratulated Erdogan, saying that his reelection is “a clear demonstration of the Turkish people’s support for your efforts to consolidate state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy.”

- Moscow focused on implementation of all economic projects with Ankara

Meanwhile, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the state-run TASS news agency that Moscow will continue its cooperation and political dialogue with Türkiye.

"We aim to implement all economic projects that are of a strategic nature. They are mutually beneficial, they are an important element of regional security ... Naturally, there are other areas that Russian-Turkish projects highlight. These are tourism, cultural ties and many, many others," Grushko said.

He added that all agreements between Türkiye and Russia, including the creation of a gas hub in Türkiye, are of a "systemic strategic nature," working on which continues at the highest level.

Grushko also touched on issues regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative, saying that Western countries must remove obstacles in the transfer of Russian agricultural products to world markets.

Expressing that Türkiye played a positive role in the grain deal, Grushko said "the ball is on the side of those countries that imposed illegal sanctions against Russia."

"We expect specific actions in this direction. Political statements from the UN are no longer enough in the current conditions," he added.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed the agreement in Istanbul last July to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were halted after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February last year.

The deal has been renewed several times since then, despite Russia criticizing Western sanctions on its agricultural sector. It was extended for another two months on May 18.

Moscow has linked the inclusion of its state-owned Russian Agricultural Bank in the SWIFT international payment system to further extend the deal.

Russia and Türkiye are also working on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the Turkish province of Mersin, which was inaugurated late last month.