SOLNECHNOGORSK, Moscow region. Aug 2 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have agreed to decide on the date and venue of their meeting in the near future, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
"They were going to meet for a long time, even before the presidential election in Turkey, but they decided not to do this before the election in order not to give any reason for detractors who would immediately start accusing Moscow of interfering in Turkey's internal affairs, so they decided to do this afterwards. The elections are over, Erdogan's schedule is busy, as well [...]. They have spoken several times over the phone and have agreed to make a precise decision in the near future, first of all, on the venue where this will take place and on the date," Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
The agenda of the upcoming meeting includes bilateral relations, the Ukrainian issue, the grain deal and an exchange of views on global affairs, Peskov said.
He was asked whether the issue of Turkey's transfer of militants of Azov, an organization banned in Russia, to Ukraine was discussed during the conversation between Putin and Erdogan.
"No, this topic was not touched upon," Peskov said.
At the same time, he noted that the venue of the Russian-Turkish summit has yet to be determined.
"It is not necessarily Turkey, but Erdogan is inviting him to his place. You know that the [Russian] president himself said at a night press conference in St. Petersburg that now is just the time when he should be in the country. So it is hard for him to make any visits now," Peskov said.
The details are to be coordinated through diplomatic channels, he added.