Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Sept. 3, having what appeared to be a cordial conversation, with Putin doing most of the talking and gesturing.
They attended a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and Japan’s defeat. The ceremony was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and 12,000 soldiers were on display.
State news agency TASS described it as an “informal conversation” after an official reception, noting that Putin and Fidan walked together down the stairs and along the red carpet while chatting.
It was the first time Turkey joined the anniversary at ministerial level. Fidan was accompanied by Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and Turkey’s Ambassador to Beijing Selçuk Ünal, who also watched from the VIP stands.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was in Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, returned to Turkey after attending the leaders’ meeting there.
