UPDATE: Putin: Russia seeks to fully restore relations with Turkey

(Adds comments by energy minister in last five paragraphs)

ST. PETERSBURG, Aug 9 (PRIME) -- Russia seeks to restore relations with Turkey to the full extent and will soon develop a cooperation program until 2019, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday following talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The countries have all possibilities to restore full-scale relations, Putin said.

“The talks have confirmed that our countries have all possibilities to restore normal, full-scale relations, which would help strengthen stability not only in our region, but in the whole world. Russia is ready for such work,” Putin said.

“We will have to do a hard work to reanimate trade and economic cooperation. This process has been already launched, but it will require certain time,” he said. “The priority is to reach a pre-crisis level of bilateral cooperation. And this is really a vital task,” he said.

Russia plans to gradually abolish all economic restrictions introduced earlier against Turkish companies and resume charter flights to Turkey in the near future, Putin said.

Turkey has made a positive decision to resume the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and Akkuyu nuclear plant projects, Putin also said.

Erdogan confirmed after the meeting that the Turkish Stream project will be implemented.

Russia and Turkey may sign an intergovernmental agreement on the Turkish Stream pipeline in October, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Rossiya 24 television channel.

The first line of the pipeline could be built in the second half of 2019, he said.

“First of all, we have to adjust all legal documents, sign an intergovernmental agreement, road maps on implementation of this project, receive authorization documents for this project,” he said.

There will be only one line of the pipeline if the E.U. does not provide any guarantees that one more line is in demand, Novak said.

Russia is not discussing providing a gas price discount to Turkey, he also said.

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