Turkey's Erdogan to meet Russia's Putin on Syrian security, fighting ISIL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan starts on Friday a visit to Moscow, seeking cozier ties with Russia to shore up Syrian security and the protracted battle against ISIL. This is Erdogan’s second visit to Russia since the two countries have mended fences after Ankara downed a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 on the Syrian border. In February, Russian fighter jets killed three Turkish soldiers that the Russian Ministry of Defense said was a “mistake” as they had targeted ISIL militants. Turkey and Russia brokered a ceasefire in Syria. Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are also going to put energy cooperation on their agenda. Hüseyin Bagci from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, former Russian diplomat Vyacheslav Matuzov, and Doga Ulas Eralp from the American University School of International Service in Washington DC discuss the significance of the visit.

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