Foreign Minister Fidan to Visit Russia

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and Russian officials, and will participate in the BRICS+ Session on June 11. Discussions will cover recent developments in Gaza, as well as regional and international issues including Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and the South Caucasus. Minister Fidan will reiterate Turkey's expectation for the ongoing wars in the region to end peacefully and Turkey's readiness to provide support in this regard. Economic and trade cooperation will also be a significant part of the talks. Both sides will continue their efforts to increase mutual investments and work towards achieving the $100 billion trade volume target set by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tourism between the two countries is known as one of the most important channels of interaction between the Turkish and Russian people. The number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey reached 6,313,675 in 2023, increasing by 20%. Minister Fidan is expected to meet with Turkish business people operating in Russia during the visit. The BRICS+ Session, focusing on international security, sustainable development, and global governance, has invited 15 countries in addition to BRICS members (Turkey, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Algeria, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Laos, Mauritania, Nigeria, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, and Vietnam). Minister Fidan is expected to have bilateral meetings with his counterparts during this meeting. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also participated in the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in 2018. Russia took over the BRICS Chairmanship from South Africa on January 1. The theme of the Russian Chairmanship is 'Strengthening Multilateralism for Fair Global Development and Security.' The 16th BRICS Summit is planned to be held in Kazan on October 22-24.