Erdogan and Putin meet at SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan to discuss nuclear energy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on September 1, 2026, in Kyrgyzstan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. During the discussions, Erdogan described the current state of bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia as more advanced than at any point in history. Both leaders emphasized their strong economic and political ties, with Putin characterizing Turkey as a privileged partner in these sectors.

A focal point of the meeting was the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is currently in the final stages of completion. Erdogan expressed expectations for the project to become operational soon and proposed further collaboration on future nuclear energy ventures. He announced that once the Akkuyu facility is active, the two countries plan to proceed with the construction of additional power plants to strengthen their energy partnership.