27 June 2016, 17:03 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he hoped that his nation’s ties with Russia would soon improve, after he sent a letter of apology to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I believe that Turkey and Russia will leave behind as soon as possible the existing situation that is hurting both countries and move on to a normal relationship," Erdogan said in a statement, as cited by the NTV channel.
Earlier in the day, the Kremlin's press office published a statement saying that Erdogan had sent a letter to Putin saying he was interested in resolving the conflict triggered by the 2015 Turkish downing of a Russian jet in Syria and offering condolences to the family of the killed pilot.
Turkish-Russian relations hit rock bottom last November after a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down a Russian Su-24 jet while on a combat mission. Both pilots ejected but one of them was killed by ground fire while parachuting.
