Putin and Erdogan pledge deeper military contact after gas deal signed

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption Friends again after ties cooled when Turkey shot down a Russian aircraft

The Russian and Turkish leaders have agreed to intensify military and intelligence contacts after a meeting in Istanbul.

President Vladimir Putin also said he and Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed on the need for aid to get to the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

The two countries have signed a deal to construct two pipelines to send Russian gas under the Black Sea to Turkey.

Ties were strained after Turkey downed a Russian military jet last year.

But speaking at a joint news conference with Mr Putin, Mr Erdogan said he was confident that the normalisation of relations would take place rapidly.

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On Saturday, Russia vetoed a French-drafted UN resolution calling for an end to air strikes and military flights over Aleppo.

Despite the deal, differences remain between the countries.

While Russia supports Syria"s President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey has called for him to be ousted and has offered support to forces fighting Syrian government troops.

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption In November Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in a mountainous area of northern Syria

Earlier on Monday, the Russian and Turkish energy ministers signed a deal for the TurkStream gas pipeline project at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul.

One pipeline will be for Turkish domestic consumption, the other will supply southeastern Europe, bypassing Ukraine.

TurkStream replaces a previous project, South Stream, that was to have been built in co-operation with EU countries but was later scrapped. TurkStream had been announced by President Putin in 2014.

Earlier Mr Putin told the gathering he supported moves by the oil producers" group Opec to cap production.

Russia and the US are the biggest oil producers outside the group, which will attempt to adopt quotas in November.

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Putin and Erdogan pledge deeper military contact after gas deal signed
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