MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer voiced hope for increased trade links between Moscow and Ankara at their meeting in the Kremlin on Thursday.
"In recent years, relations between Russia and Turkey have taken on a special character," Putin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying at the start of the meeting.
Sezer said trade turnover between the two countries could reach 25 billion dollars (19.9 billion euros) in the future, without specifying exactly when.
"In 1991, our trade turnover was only 1.5 billion dollars. In 2005, it reached 15 billion dollars, Sezer said.
Turkey, once considered a dangerous neighbour by the Soviet Union and a potential rival for Russia in Central Asia, is now Moscow's sixth-largest trade partner, ahead of the United States and France.
06/29/2006 11:39 GMT