Russian Deputy PM: "Putin, Erdogan agreed to switch to ruble payments for Russian gas"

A joint statement was released after a four-hour meeting of Turkish and Russian presidents in Sochi, Russia, on Friday.

Russian media Interfax cited Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have reached an agreement to switch to ruble payments for Russian gas.

"The presidents have agreed that we are beginning partial gas supplies and payments for them in rubles," Novak told journalists.

The joint statement was reported by the Turkish state agency AA under different headlines in its Turkish and English editions.

AA highlighted "confirmation by the two leaders a determination to take coordinated action against terror groups in Syria" in the Turkish edition, while it highlighted emphasis by the two leaders on the "importance of Russia's exports of grain, fertilizers" in its English edition.

Syria: Emphasis on "territorial integrity"

The part of the joint statement about the situation in Syria read:

"The leaders underlined the importance they attribute to the furtherance of the political process. Stressing the significance they attach to the preservation of Syria's political unity and territorial integrity, the leaders reaffirmed their determination to act in coordination and solidarity in the fight against all terrorist organizations."

There is no consensus between the two countries regarding designation of organizations in Syria as "terrorist".

The pro-Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) that Turkey accuses of terrorism, opened offices in Moscow in 2016, which has become an issue between Russia and Turkey.

Groups designated terrorist by Russia, on the other hand, operate as proxies of the Turkish military in Syrian territories occupied by Turkey.