Turkey, Russia to seek closer parliamentary relations

By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - The head of the Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said on Monday that they would try to build closer parliamentary relations with Russia.

Meeting with his Russian counterpart Leonid Slutsky, Volkan Bozkir said that they exchanged views on next week’s gathering in Turkey of Eurasian parliament speakers.

Bozkir said that 25 parliament speakers from 40 countries will attend the third meeting of the Speakers of Eurasian Countries in the Turkish Mediterranean resort of Antalya on Oct. 8-11.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will open the meeting.

"We have reached an initial agreement with Russia on promoting inter-parliamentary ties," said Bozkir.

He added that they would sign the agreement "in the coming days."

For his party, Slutsky, who chairs the Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said that they would back "Turkey's stable stance."

"[In the meeting] we will try to head off the negative stance of some countries towards Turkey," he added.