UPDATE - 'Turkey aims $100B trade volume with Russia'

UPDATES WITH MORE ERDOGAN REMARKS

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz

MOSCOW (AA) - Turkey aims at a $100 billion trade volume with Russia and will set new targets for the near future, Turkey’s president said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters during an inter-delegationary meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told how ground was broken for the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Turkey and an offshore section of the TurkStream pipeline was completed.

"As of the end of this year, we aim to complete the inland section of the TurkStream pipeline," Erdogan said.

This is the third meeting of the two leaders since the beginning of 2019.

Erdogan later attended the 8th High-Level Cooperation Council meeting between the two countries.

"Turkey aims to provide Turkish firms with opportunities in trade, agriculture, and customs that Russia gives to third countries," Erdogan told a press conference afterwards.

Stressing that meetings of Turkish and Russian businesspeople are a priority for both countries, Erdogan said the meeting provided an opportunity to hear businesspeople’s views and also provided high-level political support.

Later, Erdogan and Putin will attend an opera called Troy, based on the ancient story taking place in what is now Turkey, in the opening ceremony of the mutual year of Turkish and Russian culture and tourism.

The opera will be performed by Turkish singers at Russia's Bolshoi Theatre.

2019 was declared a mutual year of Turkish and Russian culture and tourism in both countries.