Turkey, Russia to hold political discussions on regional issues

Turkey, Russia to hold political discussions on regional issues
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Turkish and Russian deputy foreign ministers will head the delegations

Turkish and Russian foreign ministry officials will meet in Istanbul on Dec.8-9 to discuss regional issues, including Syria.

The Black Sea grain deal and regional issues such as Syria, Libya and Palestine are expected to be addressed during the consultations, according to a statement by Turkish Foreign Ministry.

The two countries’ delegations will be headed by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and his Russian counterpart Sergey Vershinin, the ministry said on Wednesday.

NATO member Turkey who has forged close relations with Russia in recent years, sought to act as a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv amid Ukraine war. Despite condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ankara rejected to follow Western sanctions on Moscow over the war.

Turkey’s diplomatic efforts along with the United Nations paved the way for a grain deal between Russia and Ukraine to reopen Ukraine’s Black Sea ports for grain exports in July.

In October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to boost cooperation between the two countries.