ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey was entering a "very different period" in relations with Russia, and that solidarity between the two countries would help the resolution of regional problems.
Speaking in St. Petersburg ahead of a meeting with Vladimir Putin, Erdogan thanked his Russian counterpart for his telephone call after a failed military coup on July 15, saying it "brought our people great happiness".
Erdogan's trip to Russia comes as Turkey's relations with Europe and the United States are strained by what Ankara sees as Western concern over the abortive coup, in which more than 240 people were killed.