Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Turkey Monday on a rare visit meant to boost trade and counter terrorism cooperation between the two countries. Putin arrived late Sunday on the first-ever official bilateral visit by a Russian leader. "We are here to take courageous decisions," Putin said at a dinner with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on Sunday. "The visit will give the opportunity for both economic and trade relations between Russia and Turkey to open up to new horizons." Putin was to hold official meetings Monday with Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as attend a business forum intended to increase trade between resource-rich Russia and Turkey, a key route for delivering oil and gas to Western markets. Before his talks on Monday, Putin visited Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's Mausoleum, a national shrine honoring the father of the modern Turkish Republic. The two-day visit is expected to produce six cooperation agreements on issues including defense, finance and energy in addition to a largely symbolic friendship and partnership declaration. At Sunday's dinner, Sezer said Turkey is determined to cooperate with Russia in the fight against terrorism. Security was tight, with a number of streets closed to traffic and some 3,000 police officers assigned to protect Putin, authorities said.
