Erdogan eyes joining Shanghai cooperation organization: Reports
Turkey expresses its willingness to join Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) after attending the summit in Uzbekistan.
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In this photo provided by the Turkish Presidency, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, centre left speaks to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. (Turkish Presidency via AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey would like to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as per NTV and other media outlets.
Erdogan made his remarks after attending the SCO summit in Uzbekistan before heading to the United States. The Turkish President added, "our relations with these countries will be moved to a much different position with this step.”
When asked if he meant membership in the SCO, he stressed "of course, that's the target".
In the run-up to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as productive.
"We held fruitful bilateral meetings on the summit's sidelines, including with presidents of Azerbaijan, China, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Iran, and with prime ministers of Pakistan and India," he told a press pool.
"We exchanged opinions on our bilateral relationships and on urgent global matters. I hope that our contacts and consultations will have good results," The Turkish president added.
Erdogan stated that he and Putin decided on Friday to keep putting food export agreements into effect "cautiously."
Turkey, Russia strike a deal resolving nuclear plant dispute: Erdogan
Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey and Russia had secured an agreement to resolve a dispute over a nuclear power plant being built at Akkuyu in southern Turkey, reinstating a Turkish contractor.
"A deal has been reached regarding Akkuyu," Erdogan said as quoted by media outlets following his visit to Uzbekistan.
Two sources said as quoted by Reuters that Turkish contractor IC Ictas re-captured the deal to build the plant run by Russia's Rosatom on Friday, The Russian state nuclear energy company terminated a contract with IC Ictas last month due to "numerous violations."
