Vladimir Putin:
Dear Mr Gul, colleagues,
I am very pleased to see you in Moscow. I remember all our previous meetings and telephone conversations, and I want to note that recently relations between Turkey and Russia have been positively developing at a good rate. We are satisfied with the way our relations are developing.
Our official trade turnover is growing every year by 15–20% and now comes to around $6.5 billion. In fact, if we take into account all the income from tourism and income from so-called ”shuttle trading“, the total volume will come to around $12 billion. As far as I know, according to information that I have, Russia consistently occupies second place in trade turnover with Turkey after Germany.
Since Prime Minister Erdogan and your party came to power, our relations have become stable, including in such sensitive areas as the war on terrorism. And I am sure that during your stay in Moscow, you will have many topics for discussion.
We are always pleased to see you.