Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was slated to visit the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on Sunday for talks with President Vladimir Putin. Erdogan and Putin were expected to discuss economic ties and bilateral trade, which last year reached US$11 billion (¤9.1 billion), said a Kremlin official who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with Russian practice. The two leaders were also to discuss gas and energy issues, as well as the political situation in Central Asia and Russia's troubled Caucasus region. The talks will focus on ways to strengthen joint efforts to combat terrorism, organized crime and the trade in illegal drugs, the Kremlin official was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.
