Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş launched a four-day trip to Russia on Monday. Kurtulmuş, welcomed by Russian lawmakers at the Vnukovo Airport, is scheduled to be received by President Vladimir Putin after an address to the Russian Parliament on Wednesday.

Lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and opposition parties accompany Kurtulmuş. Along with bilateral talks with Russian officials, Kurtulmuş will visit the Yunus Emre Institute of Türkiye in Moscow to meet students. He will also attend an event with Russian and Turkish businesspeople at the Turkish Embassy. After Moscow, Kurtulmuş and the Turkish delegation will visit St. Petersburg for an official visit.

Media outlets reported that the parliamentary delegation’s talks will focus on regional and global issues along with improving bilateral relations. Kurtulmuş is also expected to highlight the importance of a "common vision" in stopping Israel’s attacks on Palestinians during his talks in Russia, Turkish media outlets reported.

Türkiye and Russia maintain close ties, though Ankara also has amiable relations with Moscow’s main rival, Ukraine, amid the ongoing conflict. President Putin was scheduled to visit Türkiye earlier this year, but his trip has been delayed for a long time.

Ankara last oversaw a historic prisoner swap between Russia, the United States and other countries, the largest of its kind since World War II.