Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are currently holding talks in Sochi, which have lasted for five hours so far. About 140 reporters are expecting a joint press conference between both leaders.

Axar.az reports citing TASS.

In the run-up to the meeting, Putin stressed the importance of talks with Erdogan in the context of a difficult situation in Syria. Putin voiced hope that "the level of Russian-Turkish ties that has been achieved now will play its role in ironing out all challenging issues facing the region today." The Russian leader also voiced hope that this would give answers to all questions, both in the interests of Turkey, Russia, and all regional states.

For his part, Erdogan stressed that the meeting in Sochi is to help facilitate peace.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Tuesday that "Russia would like to discuss the situation in northeastern Syria in order to better understand current developments, get updated on Turkey’s plans and weigh them against plans to advance the political settlement process." "There are many issues, this will be difficult talks, that’s obvious," Peskov said.

On Monday, Russian Presidential Aide on Foreign Affairs Yuri Ushakov pointed out that it would be the eighth Putin-Erdogan meeting in 2019. According to him, the parties plan to hash over the developments in northern Syria, focusing on Turkey’s military operation in the region.