After eight months of tension between the two countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Erdogan finally met in person and shook hands on Tuesday.
The speedy reconciliation comes after Erdogan sent Moscow a long-awaited apology over shooting down a Russian war plane, and has inspired a wave of jokes on the Internet.
Here is The Moscow Times' selection:
"Erdogan is no longer the Islamic State’s accomplice or Russia’s enemy!" one Twitter user sarcastically pointed out, attaching a picture of a warm handshake Putin and Erdogan shared before their meeting…
Surprised by the warm welcome Putin gave his counterpart, many recalled accusations of supporting terrorists that Moscow recently directed at the Turkish leader:
"Putin: Erdogan, you trade with the Islamic State
Erdogan: No you"
"Erdogan was recently attacked throughout Russia and accused of purchasing oil from the Islamic State. And today he is Putin’s best friend and Russia’s partner."
"It wasn't Erdogan, it was his adult son who traded oil with Islamic State — it’s all legal."
... As well as counter-accusations by Erdogan that claimed that the Russian military operation in Syria had led to the death or injury of thousands of ethnic Turks:
And some just found themselves lost in confusion over the sudden change in international relations:
"One day Turks are bad, and the next day they are good ... Poor downtrodden Russians."
A "stab in the back" became one of the most popular idioms among those speaking out about the meeting. During the last 24 hours, Russian users produced quite a number of its bitter variations:
"A stab in the back was not enough for Putin, and he befriended Erdogan again to be hit on his head with a scimitar…"
"At a meeting with Erdogan, Putin thankfully returned a knife pulled out from his back"
A final touching detail — plates with photographs of the leaders — just couldn’t go unnoticed and became the cherry on top.
The Islamic State is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
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