Visiting Putin Looks to Boost Economic Ties

President Vladimir V. Putin made the first official visit by a Russian leader to Turkey, hoping to strengthen an economic relationship that is turning the former foes into robust trading partners. His two-day visit will include a business forum and is expected to produce cooperation agreements on defense, finance and energy.

Turkey and Russia have a history of animosity. The Ottoman Empire and czarist Russia vied for regional supremacy; Turkey was NATO’s easternmost Cold War outpost; and the two have fought for influence in the Turkic states that gained independence in the 1991 Soviet collapse.