On his visit to Sochi on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a primary goal in mind to improve his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has seen open cracks in the last few months.
Various steps by Ankara, including bilateral visits with Ukraine and paving the way for NATO's expansion, have heightened Russian distrust of Erdogan, analysts say.
Erdogan is now angling for an international success story by restoring the agreement with Moscow that enabled Ukraine to ship its grain to world markets through the Black Sea.
Moscow terminated the deal on July 17. The agreement Erdogan brokered with the UN last year had gained him international kudos, and restoring it would put him in the limelight again when he attends the UN General Assembly later this month.
