ANKARA, Aug 30 (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives here this week for a landmark visit which Ankara hopes will help improve political ties in line with spectacular progress in economic relations between the two countries.
Putin`s visit on Thursday and Friday will be the first by a Russian head of state since 1972.
"Our goal is to catch up with the level of economic ties on the political side... It`s a shame there has been no visit at this level by Russia for such a long time when economic exchanges have recently been increasing by 30 percent every year," a senior Turkish diplomat said.
Trade between the two countries has flourished since the end of the Cold War, during which NATO member Turkey shared a high-tension border with the Soviet Union.
Bilateral trade was worth 6.8 billion dollars in 2003 and is expected to reach nine billion dollars by the end of this year.
Russia is Turkey`s main natural gas supplier, with two pipelines linking the two countries, one of them under the Black Sea.
Turkish contractors have undertaken multi-million-dollar projects in Russia, while Turkey is now a favorite foreign destination for Russian holiday-makers.
Political ties, however, have often hit snags.
Moscow has long accused Ankara of turning a blind eye to the comings and goings of Chechen separatist rebels, while Ankara has responded with charges that Kurdish rebels get safe haven in Russian territory.
The Russians also complain that Turkey is deliberately restricting tanker traffic through the Bosphorus Strait -- a main outlet for Russian oil to world markets -- at a time when a US-backed pipeline destined to carry Azeri oil via Turkey is nearing completion.
Backed by environmentalists, Ankara argues that the narrow waterway is already congested and accidents involving oil tankers threaten Istanbul, a bustling city which lies on both shores of the Bosphorus.
"This is a restriction imposed by nature, not us. We would have to either move Istanbul or dynamite the Bosphorus to make it larger," the diplomat said.
"Though the Russians continue to complain from time to time, they have come to realize that there is nothing to be done. New alternatives should be developed," he added.
Moscow is reportedly lobbying Ankara for the construction of a pipeline through northwestern Turkey, labeled the Trans-Thracian route, which would by-pass the Bosphorus in taking oil to the Aegean Sea and on to the Mediterranean.
On Chechnya, Turkey has rejected accusations of turning a blind eye to separatist Chechen militants on its territory and has repeatedly voiced support for Russia`s territorial integrity.
The two sides have signed three accords on combating terrorists, a term which Ankara and Moscow use to describe their Kurdish and Chechen insurgents respectively.
"We have regular consultations regarding terrorism. Whenever either side demands measures be taken, the other side does so," the diplomat said.
"Turkey today has no political problem with Russia... The level of trust between us has significantly increased when compared to the past," he added.
Putin and Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer are to sign a declaration on "deepening friendship and multi-dimensional partnership," officials said.
Accords on cooperation in the realms of naval search-and-rescue, defense industry, natural gas and trade are also likely to be inked.
Following his talks in Ankara, Putin will travel to the western city of Izmir to visit an international industrial fair.