Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Istanbul.
The Wednesday’s meeting is being held ahead of the launch ceremony of TurkStream natural gas pipeline project in the city, which the two leaders are set to attend.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov are also expected to attend the ceremony.
Security measures are high in the city, as a total of 7,200 police officers are on duty for the inauguration ceremony.
Among security forces are 300 special operations teams, 30 bomb squad working around the hotels where foreign leaders are staying or on the routes they are traveling before and during the event.
Following the ceremony, Erdogan is later to host leaders of Russia, Serbia and Bulgaria in a dinner.
