By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will be in Uzbekistan to attend the annual Heads of State Council summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and meet world leaders in Samarkand on Thursday and Friday. Erdogan will address the second session of the summit, founded in 2001, whose purpose is to foster strong ties, good relations and mutual trust between its eight member states where Turkiye is one of six dialogue partners.
The Turkish leader is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the grain export deal that expires in November but is renewable. The Turkish president is expected to reiterate his desire to initiate mediation on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant situation in Ukraine to avoid what Erdogan terms “another Chernobyl.” The Chernobyl nuclear disaster severely affected the Black Sea region in Turkiye as well as other parts of the country, causing severe health problems, birth defects and cancer. Erdogan will also discuss bilateral issues concerning Syria and Libya with Putin.
