Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Putin will visit Ankara from second attempt

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Putin will visit Ankara from second attempt

    PanArmenian News
    Dec 4 2004

    PUTIN WILL VISIT ANKARA FROM THE SECOND ATTEMPT

    This will be the first official visit of the Russian head of state to
    Turkey in history

    On December 5 the President of Russia Vladimir Putin will make an
    official visit to Turkey. There are arranged meetings of Russian
    President with the President of Turkey Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the Prime
    Minister Recep Erdogan, the minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulah Gül
    and Turkish businessmen. It is expected to sign four agreements. Most
    of the questions which Vladimir Putin is aimed to settle during the
    visit to Ankara concern the interests of Armenia.

    /PanARMENIAN.Net/ The visit was to take place in September but it had
    been postponed because of the act of terror in Beslan. Putin has
    previously been to Turkey in the beginning of the 90's on the
    holidays with his family in Antaliya. But by that time he was not a
    president, but a usual KGB officer. But yet it's the first official
    visit of Russian head of state to Turkey during these 500 years of
    Russian -Turkish relations. Traditionally the Russians considered
    Turkey as an enemy country. Particularly the four Russian -Turkish
    Wars are of evidence. The feeble attempts of the former Turkish prime
    minister to get into contact with Russian leaders were not crowned
    with success. Boris Yeltsin refused to receive Bulent Ejevit who
    arrived in Moscow with an official meeting. On the contrary Putin
    gives an unambiguous signal of the readiness to be friends.

    First of all it's a matter of economic interests. The interdependency
    of the economies of two countries grows every year. The commodity
    circulation is planned for 9 milliard dollars this year but according
    to some information it has already exceeded that number. The experts
    expect the turnover to amount to 20milliard. It should be noticed
    that the matter concerns a number which by 40 times exceeds the state
    budget of Armenia. Last year 1million 200thousand Russian tourists
    visited Turkey. This figure during the first six months of the
    current year comparing to the same period of last year increased by
    50 per cents.

    The cooperation of two countries has good prospects in the sphere of
    energy. This cooperation may infringe upon Armenia's interest. It is
    not inconceivable that during the visit the sides may discuss the
    possibility of Russia to supply to Turkey electrical energy generated
    in Armenia in electric power stations belonging to RAO UES. In spite
    of the statement of the Russian Premier Minister Mikhail Fradkov on
    the prospects of the Russian gas supply to south en route of Armenia,
    this question is hardly to be discussed seriously today. The Russians
    pay more attention to the Blue Stream Pipeline by means of which in
    the course of coming years 365bcm of gas will be supplied to Turkey.
    During the visit Vladimir Putin will try to obtain a guarantee that
    Ankara will completely fulfill its obligations within the framework
    of this project. Moreover, in the days of visit may be signed an
    agreement on investment in Turkish electric energy, gas-transport
    infrastructure and also underground gas-holder construction in
    Turkey.

    The question of laying an oil pipeline from Turkish city Kyikey in
    the south-west coast of Black Sea to Ibrikhaba city in Aegean Sea
    will be discussed in Ankara. For the present considerable share of
    Russian oil still goes to the west on tankers through Bosporus.
    Turkey keeps on putting obstacles counting on political concessions
    from the Moscow side. The conditions of Russian oil-tankers' passing
    through the channels will certainly be touched upon on the meeting.
    Talking on communication it should be mentioned that during the
    negotiations Putin and Erdogan may also touch upon a topic of
    straight railway service opening between Moscow and Ankara. As
    everybody knows the only trunk-railway linking Russia and Turkey lays
    trough Armenia and now is blocked by the Turkish side.

    The Turks count on the possibility to convince Putin to use his
    ascendancy upon the European leaders to soften their position
    concerning the membership of Turkey in the EU. During Putin's visit a
    special attention will be paid to military cooperation. The Minister
    of Defense Sergey Ivanov is a member of the delegation headed by
    Vledimir Putin. With his Turkish colleague he will discuss the
    organization of Ka-50-2 helicopter production in Turkey. Besides, the
    experts believe that during the visit the situation of the
    2.5-3milliard dollar contract on supplies of 145 fighting machine to
    Turkey will be made clear. The Americans also take part in the tender
    for the execution of this order.

    Putins visit is a good reason for Erdogan to strengthen personal
    contacts with the Head of the Great Power.

    According to some Turkish media, Recep Erdogn is even going to
    suggest Putin being godfather on his daughter's wedding. As everybody
    knows in July on his elder daughter's Esru's wedding the godfather
    was the Prime Minister of Greek Costas Karamanlis, in last August on
    his son's Bilal's wedding this mission was entrusted to the Prime
    Minister of Italy Silvio Berluskoni. The Turkish prime minister has a
    chance to become related with the Head of Russia. This chance is his
    youngest daughter Sumeye. The problem is that she is too young and
    does not want to get married at all. But the commentators expect
    Erdogan to insist on the immediate marriage with the first young man
    for the sake of personal contact with Valdimir Putin. But it is still
    unknown if Putin himself would like to become Erdogan's relative.
Working...
X