Turkey and Russia are preparing to carry out new nuclear energy projects once the Akkuyu nuclear power plant – Turkey’s first nuclear power plant – comes online, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on 1 September: a meeting in which Erdoğan also stated that relations between the two countries are at their highest level ever.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday that relations between Turkey and Russia are at an all-time high during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Today, I believe it is important to make the most of an opportunity such as this. Relations between Turkey and Russia are truly at a much more advanced stage today than at any previous time,” said Erdoğan, as quoted by the Anatolia news agency, during the meeting held as part of the summit of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Turkey’s first nuclear power plat is set to come online by the end of this year
The Turkish leader also highlighted the importance of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant – the first unit of which is scheduled to come online this year – for bilateral relations, and stated that the project has entered its final phase. “With the commissioning of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, we will once again take joint steps towards opening a number of new power stations,” added Erdoğan, suggesting that Ankara and Moscow could reach new agreements on nuclear energy.
Prior to the meeting, Putin had already publicly stated that “Turkey is one of our privileged partners in the fields of foreign policy and the economy”; and during his subsequent meeting with Erdoğan, the Russian leader emphasised that “Turkey is one of Russia’s priority and privileged trade and economic partners”. “Our Joint Economic Commission is functioning effectively. Thanks to your keen interest – he said, addressing Erdoğan – our economic relations remain at a very high level. The development of our joint projects continues. The potential for our cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian spheres is also very high,” he added.
Putin also highlighted that “the influx of Russian tourists to Turkey is increasing every year. Last year, almost 7 million Russian tourists visited Türkiye. Today we will focus on these issues and other important matters, and I would like to reiterate that I am very satisfied and pleased with today’s meeting,” said the Russian leader, as quoted by several Turkish media outlets.
Erdoğan highlights the SCO’s role in the multipolar order
During an extended session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, held a few hours earlier, the Turkish president stated that the organisation – which encompasses the major countries of Eurasia and represents almost 3.5 billion people and an economic output of 35 trillion dollars – has become an important part of the new multipolar order.
Erdoğan, who regarded the SCO as a complementary organisation to the United Nations, took the opportunity to call for greater coordination between the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor – a transport route linking China with Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia — and the New Silk Road Initiative (officially called “Belt and Road Initiative”, which connects China with Europe via Türkiye), and highlighted the key role that Turkey plays in connecting the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with Western markets.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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