Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed his country's nuclear partnership with Turkey, after helping to launch the construction of a Russian-made plant, with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

VLADIMIR PUTIN RUSSIAN PRESIDENT "First of all, I would like to sincerely congratulate you on starting to build the first part of the Akkuyu nuclear plant. It is difficult to overstate the significance of this large-scale innovative project. Today we are not only celebrating the construction of the first Turkish nuclear plant, but also laying the foundation for the atomic industry in Turkey as a whole. We are creating new industrial sectors."

The two leaders watched a groundbreaking ceremony remotely. Putin said the plant would be opened in 2023. The Russian president is on a two-day state visit to Turkey, where the two leaders will join their Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, for talks on Syria on Wednesday.