Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday met with the leaders of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan on the sidelines of the sixth Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Astana.
During the meeting, Putin said the world is “undergoing serious changes in global politics and economy” and becoming truly “multipolar.” He said Asia is at the centre of this changing order, and that new centres of power are emerging within the continent. He stressed that Russia is “committed to the development and prosperity of Asia” in all fields, including economy and security.
Turkey
Putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that Russia is willing to improve relations, especially in the field of energy. Calling Turkey “the most reliable country” for Russian natural gas supplies to Europe, Putin said Russia would continue to use transit routes through Turkey for gas supplies to Europe.
Erdogan meets Putin in Astana.
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) October 13, 2022
I lost count of how many meetings and phone calls these two had in recent months pic.twitter.com/CehLL8MeP5
Furthermore, Putin said that Turkey and Russian energy company Gazprom has agreed to build another gas pipeline and establish a gas hub in Turkey for trade with third countries. “This hub, built by Russia and Turkey together, would serve as a platform for both supplies and pricing, as pricing is a critical issue these days,” he noted.
Putin also vowed to speed up work on the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu. “Around May 2023, we plan to deliver nuclear fuel, thus completing another stage of this joint project,” he said. Rosatom is building the $20 billion Akkuyu nuclear power plant under a joint venture with the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority.
Thanking Putin for his efforts to improve ties with Turkey, Erdoğan said Ankara is keen to help Moscow supply grains and Russian fertilisers to the world’s poorest countries. “Turkey and Russia are together. I am sure our steps will worry some circles and some countries but we are full of resolve,” he remarked.
Erdoğan noted that with Russian help Turkey would be able to operate the first turbine of the Akkuyu nuclear plant early next year. He also revealed that the two countries are working to produce another nuclear plant in Sinop. “Akkuyu meets 10 per cent of our energy demand, and when a second one in Sinop meets another 10 per cent, which will make 20 per cent, these two nuclear power plants will have created a distinct impact in the world,” he said.
Palestine
Putin told Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas that Russia is committed to the Palestinian cause and indicated that Moscow is opposed to Israeli settlements. He promised Abbas that Russia would always fight for a “just settlement” of the issue.
President Mahmoud Abbas meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the sixth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (#CICASummit2022) in Kazakhstan.
— Wafa News Agency - English (@WAFANewsEnglish) October 13, 2022
More: https://t.co/eNvIxlEer4#نابلس #الاقصى_يستغيث pic.twitter.com/sRKMMB3IPg
Abbas than Putin for his “clear position” on the Palestinian issue and stated that “Russia stands for justice […] and international law.” Moreover, Abbas stressed that the United States (US) is not a trustworthy partner when it comes to resolving the Israeli-Palestine conflict. “We do not want America to single-handedly deal with the solution to the Palestinian problem under any umbrella or pretext,” he said. In this respect, he called on the Middle East Quartet—the United Nations, the US, the European Union, and Russia—to play a greater role in resolving the conflict.
Azerbaijan
During his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Putin said that Russia plans to improve bilateral ties. He noted that Russian officials would hold regular meetings with their Azerbaijani counterparts to discuss ways to improve relations and implement joint projects.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin met in Astana VIDEO https://t.co/LDisxAYkdO #Azerbaijan pic.twitter.com/2HqsiTUKl4
— AZERTAC News Agency (@AZERTAC) October 13, 2022
Aliyev welcomed Putin’s resolve to improve ties. He mentioned that they talked about the current situation in the South Caucasus and ways to achieve peace in the region. “I think they [ties] have reached the highest level of allied interaction, and we are making very active progress on many issues. You have noted, and I would like to confirm, that there is an increase in trade and economic ties,” Aliyev said, adding, “We are committed to long-term peace. For our part, we believe that we have proposed sufficiently constructive theses for peace to be finally achieved.”
Qatar
NEW 🚨 Qatari Emir says Qatar has strong and historic relations with Russia, meets Putin at sidelines of CICApic.twitter.com/roQ42byFJ2
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) October 13, 2022
Noting that Russia-Qatar relations are “developing successfully,” Putin told Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani there is a “notable development trend” in trade activities, although bilateral trade is not large yet. Putin vowed that Moscow would do everything to ensure that ties improve with Doha.
The two leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine and its impact on global food and energy security. The Qatari Emir vowed to support all regional efforts to find an “immediate peaceful solution to the crisis.” “Qatar stresses the necessity of Respect for state sovereignty and adherence to the United Nations Charter and well-established principles of international law, including obligations under the Charter to settle international disputes by peaceful means,” Al Thani said.
The pair also discussed the conflicts in Libya and Syria.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
For now during the meeting Putin said *nothing* about the Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border conflict with hundreds of casualties this September. At least publicly.
— Temur Umarov 马铁木 (@TUmarov) October 13, 2022
Only usual information about the relationship with both states, trade, etc. https://t.co/beYOlvlE9W pic.twitter.com/CxZUcDP10a
Putin also held a trilateral meeting with the presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan—Sadyr Japarov and Emomali Rahmon. “I would like to note that Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are our close allies. We are working very closely in international organisations and are strategic partners, without question,” he stressed.
The Tajik Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that the leaders also “exchanged views on issues of regional security and stability in Central Asia.” “During the meeting, the course of the negotiation process on the delimitation and demarcation of the Tajik-Kyrgyz state border was considered,” it noted.
The ministry claimed Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan reached an agreement to: “resolve emerging issues exclusively by political and diplomatic means;” “intensify the activities of government groups on the delimitation and demarcation of the state border;” and establish “working groups of experts in strict accordance with previously reached agreements.”