Turkey is the scene of a flurry of high-level diplomatic traffic this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ankara today to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two leaders will have tackled a broad range of bilateral matters, notably the conflict in Syria, energy and defense projects as well as the dispute over Jerusalem. The pair were all smiles as they posed for the media ahead of a banquet held in Putin's honor at Erdogan's sprawling presidential complex. At a news conference held in its wake, Erdogan announced that a highly controversial deal to purchase Russian made S-400 missiles would be finalized this week. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Calibri; color: #ff2500; -webkit-text-stroke: #ff2500} span.s1 {font-kerning: none}

Head of US Central Command Gen. Joseph Votel and head of US European Command Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti were also due in town later this week to discuss Syria and NATO-related business with Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar in a bid to defuse tensions over American support for Syrian Kurds affiliated with rebels fighting for Kurdish self-rule inside Turkey.

Turkey is planning to host an emergency session of the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday to hammer out a joint strategy in the face of the United States’ decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Erdogan has led the chorus of Muslim fury against the move, which pro-government media outlets claim was made with Saudi Arabia’s blessings. If true, it’s unlikely that the OIC will rally behind Erdogan, as many of its members rely on Saudi patronage.

It’s just as unclear whether Russia and Turkey can jointly do anything about Jerusalem. But grandstanding alongside Putin certainly helps cement Erdogan’s image as a Muslim leader with a real hand in global affairs.