Turkey, Russia to hold Moscow meeting

A high-level meeting between Turkey and Russia will be held in Moscow on Dec. 16, Turkey announced Monday.

The High-level Cooperation Council summit is to be chaired by presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The agenda for the gathering is yet to be released but the conflict in Syria and energy issues are likely to be among the topics that loom large, as well as trade and tourism. It will be the sixth cooperation meeting between the two nations.

The meeting was announced as Erdogan hosted world leaders including Putin at the G20 summit in Antalya, southern Turkey.

The civil war in Syria is high on the list of subjects at the G20. Russia, a backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, began airstrikes against his opponents in September and Turkey maintains a keen interest in events on its southern border and hosts 2.2 million Syrian refugees.

The two countries also have strong energy links, with Turkey purchasing up to 60 percent of its natural gas from Russia. A new pipeline from Russia to Europe is due to cross Turkish territory.

Putin and Erdogan previously meet in Moscow in October, shortly after Russia began attacks in Syria.