The Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan plan to meet in Russia in early August.

“A meeting between Putin and Erdogan is being prepared and worked out. They agreed that the meeting will be in the first 10 days of August,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

“It will be in Russia, but the city and the date are still being firmed up,” Peskov said.

This will be the leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since late June when Russia said Erdogan apologized for Turkey shooting down a Russian fighter jet in November last year.

The downing of the fighter jet on the Syrian border had shattered ties between the erstwhile allies.

Turkish state media had reported on Sunday that the leaders would meet in the first week of August without giving a location, quoting presidential sources.

Putin called Erdogan on Sunday to express his support after the end of a failed putsch in Turkey and the Kremlin said the two leaders confirmed plans to meet in the near future.

Turkey said Monday it has detained two pilots who played a role in downing the Russian plane over links to the failed putsch.

Source: AFP