Putin meets Erdogan to normalise ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul yesterday, pushing forward ambitious joint energy projects on his first visit to Turkey since a crisis in ties.

Only a few months ago, the two post-imperial strongmen were exchanging bitterly personal accusations after Turkey shot down a Russian war plane on the Syrian border last November.

But after a June agreement to normalise ties, this was the pair's third meeting following an initial ice-breaking meeting in Saint Petersburg and an encounter on the sidelines of the G20 in China in September.

Before their meeting began at the Ottoman-era Yildiz Palace in Istanbul, the pair reaffirmed their commitment to the planned TurkStream gas pipeline to pump Russian gas under the Black Sea to Europe in speeches to an energy congress.

Speaking at the World Energy Congress, Putin vowed that the project would be realised, while Erdogan said work was already under way and Turkey looked on it "positively".

Putin also congratulated Erdogan for defeating the July 15 coup bid against his rule, saying Russia had been very concerned by the situation and was "glad" Turkey was now recovering.

Yet the two countries still face a major task to raise relations to the level enjoyed before the jet crisis.