Russian preisdent Vladimir Putin headed to Turkey on Sunday for the first official visit by a Russian president, looking to strenghten a growing economic relationship that is turning a longtime foe into a newfound trading partner.
Putin was expected to have dinner in Ankara with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer ahead of official talks Monday. His two-day visit marks a milestone in relations between two countries whose meetings in past centuries often came on the battlefield, as they struggled for control over lands from the Balkans to the Black Sea and beyond to China's borders.
"Russia and Turkey are moving toward cooperation and the flourishing it will bring with it," Putin said before the trip, according to <i>ITAR-TASS</i> news agency.
