Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the potential for joint work with Türkiye in nuclear energy during a 29 June 2006 press conference in Moscow held alongside Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
Türkiye plans to build three nuclear power stations, with the first expected to begin construction in 2007 and all three entering service by 2012. The project is part of Türkiye's effort to cut reliance on gas imports from Russia and Iran. State-owned Russian nuclear contractor Atomstroiexport announced it was prepared to participate in the program.
Sezer, for his part, emphasized energy cooperation in the gas sector, pointing to the Blue Stream pipeline, which has carried Russian gas beneath the Black Sea to Türkiye since December 2002.
Bilateral trade has expanded sharply since the Soviet collapse. According to Russian official figures, annual trade between the two countries grew from 1.5 billion dollars in 1991 to 15 billion dollars in 2005. Türkiye now ranks as Russia's sixth-largest trading partner, ahead of France and the United States.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.