Erdogan’s visit to Putin’s hometown of Saint Petersburg is his first foreign trip since a failed coup attempt last month that sparked a purge of alleged coup supporters in the military, judiciary, civil service and education sector, and cast a shadow over Turkey’s relations with the West.
The upcoming meeting is also comes at ending a period of tension between the two countries after Turkey downed a Russian jet close to the Syrian border in 2015.
Before leaving Turkey, Mr Erdogan referred to President Putin as his “friend” and said he wanted to open a new page in relations with Russia.
He made the remark during an interview with Russia’s TASS news agency published on Monday.
“It will be a historical visit, a new start. I believe talks with my friend Vladimir will open up a new page in bilateral relations. Our countries have a lot to do together,” Erdogan said.
