MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, Erdogan’s letter of congratulations to Putin on occasion of Russia Day emerged, in which the Turkish leader expressed hope that the Moscow-Ankara relations would rise to the deserved level.
"The letter came through the foreign ministry channels," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Russian-Turkish relations deteriorated following the downing of a Russian Su-24 aircraft by a Turkish F-16 fighter in Syria on November 24, 2015.
Russia's retaliatory measures against Ankara include restrictions on the activities of Turkish organizations in Russia, prohibiting Russian employers from hiring Turkish citizens and a ban on certain food imports, including oranges, tangerines, tomatoes, apples, peaches, strawberries and most poultry products.
