(4 Nov 1999) Natural Sound
Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has arrived in Russia for a three-day visit expected to focus on economic, political and military cooperation between the two countries.
Ecevit is expected to meet senior Russian officials to discuss plans to build a pipeline across the Black Sea to provide Turkey with gas and a manufacturing venture to construct 145 attack helicopters.
The Turkish Prime Minister touched down on Russian soil on Thursday morning.
Ecevit will meet with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral trade issues, military cooperation, distribution of Russian natural gas to Turkey and the conflict in Chechnya.
The two prime ministers are expected to make a joint statement on their plans to cooperate in their respective campaigns to quell separatists.
Later on Thursday Ecevit is expected to meet President Boris Yeltsin.
Ecevit has expressed concern about the ongoing offensive in Chechnya and the numbers of refugees moving out of the area.
But Ankara treads a thin line. Many Turkish officials believe strong criticism of Russia's 1994-96 Chechen involvement spurred Moscow to retaliate by supporting separatist Kurdish rebels.
Ecevit is under pressure from pro-Islamic politicians who called for him to cancel his visit to Moscow to protest Russia's military drive against fellow Muslims in Chechnya.
Russia has said that Turkish fighters are part of the Islamic forces that invaded the Russian region of Dagestan in August.
Ecevit has said that Turkey does not support the militants, but that some Turks may have joined the rebels on their own.
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