Ankara
\nRussian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey\u2019s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have held talks by telephone, their offices said, before the two countries marked the inauguration of Turkey\u2019s first nuclear power reactor.
\nThe Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey\u2019s southern Mersin province has been built by Russia\u2019s state nuclear energy company Rosatom.
\nErdogan thanked Putin on Thursday during their call for his help on the power plant, the Turkish leader\u2019s office said. They also discussed the Black Sea grain initiative and the situation in Ukraine, it said.
\nPutin said they agreed to deepen economic, trade and agricultural cooperation. He said the two countries were working on an initiative by Erdogan to send flour made from Russian grain to countries that needed it.
\nBoth presidents took part virtually in a ceremony marking the loading of nuclear fuel into the first power unit at Akkuyu.
\nThe $20bn, 4,800-megawatt project to build four reactors in the Mediterranean town of Akkuyu will allow Turkey to join the small club of nations with civil nuclear energy.
\nSanction \u2018problems\u2019
\nConstruction of the Akkuyu plant was complicated by sanctions the West imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
\n\u201cYes, we have certain logistical problems,\u201d Akkuyu plant director Sergei Butskikh told reporters on the eve of the launch.
\n\u201cThe transportation routes are getting longer. Not all of the shipping companies are able to work with us. So here yes, we feel the sanctions,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cBut this has not affected the quality of the plant\u2019s construction.\u201d
\nErdogan has been one of the few world leaders to maintain good relations with Putin by refusing to sign up for Western sanctions on Russia and trying to mediate an end to the war.
\nErdogan joined Thursday\u2019s ceremony by video link rather than travelling to the site due to a health issue that forced him to cancel campaign rallies this week. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the president was now feeling better.
\nTurkey faces landmark presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ankara Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey\u2019s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have held talks by telephone, their offices said, before the two countries marked the inauguration of Turkey\u2019s first nuclear power reactor. The Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey\u2019s southern Mersin province has been built by Russia\u2019s state nuclear energy company Rosatom. Erdogan thanked Putin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328193,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-328174","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n