ANTALYA, April 12, 2025 (BSS/TASS) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Antalya where he will participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum at the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. On the same day the Russian-Turkish talks on relevant global and bilateral issues will be held.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that the event will feature an address by Lavrov along with bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts. "He is expected to cover pivotal international issues, including developments in the Middle East, North Africa, the South Caucasus, and the Black Sea region, as well as pressing matters in relations with specific states," Zakharova said.

The Antalya Forum, themed Restoring Diplomacy in a Fragmented World, will take place under the auspices of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 11-13. The event is expected to bring together some 450 representatives of 140 countries, including 20 at the level of heads of state and government.

During the forum Lavrov plans to hold many bilateral meetings where Ukraine will be discussed among other things, though a meeting with the Ukrainian foreign minister is not planned, according to Zakharova.

Lavrov and Fidan are expected to discuss bilateral trade and economic relations, cooperation in energy, finance and other spheres during their scheduled meeting, the Russian foreign ministry said earlier, adding that priority will be placed on preserving positive trade dynamics under the negative impact of Western sanctions on Russian-Turkish cooperation. Separately, the work on strategic projects such as the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and the operation of the Blue Stream and TurkStream gas pipelines will be discussed.

In addition, the sides are expected to discuss the latest developments in the zone of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities and in the Middle East as a whole, the ministry noted. The ministers are also expected to discuss in detail the issues of deepening cooperation in the Transcaucasus region, unblocking transport and communication links, as well as post-conflict reconstruction.