Russian envoy Vershinin holds culture and sports meetings in Istanbul

Russian Ambassador to Türkiye Sergei Vershinin met actor Halit Ergenç at the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul and visited Galatasaray, where he wished Russian player Aleksei Batrakov success.

Russian Ambassador to Türkiye Sergei Vershinin held a series of culture and sports meetings in Istanbul on Oct. 16. Accompanied by Russia’s Consul General in Istanbul Alexander Kalachev, Vershinin met renowned actor Halit Ergenç at the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul and also visited Galatasaray, where he met Russian footballer Aleksei Batrakov.

Meeting with Halit Ergenç

According to the Russian Embassy, Ergenç spoke with admiration about his trip to Yekaterinburg in September for the International Youth Festival, which gave young delegates from different countries the opportunity to exchange views on a range of topics, including contemporary trends in culture, art and cinema.

Group photo from the meeting at the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul

Ergenç talked about milestones in his career, above all his role as Suleiman the Magnificent in the series “Magnificent Century.” Vershinin said the series and other Turkish productions are followed with great interest and appreciation by many people in Russia. The ambassador wished Ergenç success in his future work and stressed the importance of cultural contacts between the two countries and their peoples.

Vershinin and Ergenç in talks at the consulate

Support for Batrakov at Galatasaray

At Galatasaray, which he visited together with Consul General Kalachev, Vershinin met the club’s management. He also met Russian midfielder Aleksei Batrakov, who joined Galatasaray from Lokomotiv Moscow in August, conveying messages of support and wishing him success in domestic and international competitions.

Ambassador Vershinin with Galatasaray player Aleksei Batrakov

Batrakov scored Galatasaray’s only goal in their 4-1 Champions League defeat to Barcelona. The embassy expressed hope that the young player would keep scoring in his upcoming matches as he did against Barcelona.

Batrakov and Ambassador Vershinin during the Galatasaray visit

A career diplomat, Vershinin took up his post after presenting his credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 30. Earlier this week, the ambassador visited Konya, where he met Governor İbrahim Akın and Acting Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Uzbaş.

Vershinin meeting Galatasaray officials

Russian envoy Vershinin holds culture and sports meetings in Istanbul

Russian Ambassador to Türkiye Sergei Vershinin met actor Halit Ergenç at the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul and visited Galatasaray, where he wished Russian player Aleksei Batrakov success.