Moscow, Ankara Restore Tourism Cooperation in Line With Thaw

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted ban on charter flights to Turkey and ordered the government to negotiate trade revival with Turkey.

"Thus, sale of vacation packages to Turkey is not prohibited any more. At the moment, the Federal Agency for Tourism is mulling reestablishment of cooperation in tourism with the Republic of Turkey," the agency said in a statement.

Russia will put special emphasis on security of Russian tourists holidaying and travelling across the country, the statement adds.

Relations between Russia and Turkey deteriorated when a Russian Su-24 attack aircraft was shot on November 24, 2015, by a Turkish F-16 fighter near the Turkish border in Syria. Following the incident, Moscow imposed a number of restrictive measures on Turkey and has repeatedly said that Ankara should apologize for downing the plane and cover any associated material losses to the country and the pilot's family.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a letter addressed to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, apologized for the downing of a Russian Su-24 attack aircraft by a Turkish jet in November and extended his condolences to the family of the pilot killed in the incident.

By doing so, Ankara fulfilled one of the conditions put forward by Moscow following the November incident that paralyzed the long-term partnership between the two countries. The letter also said legal proceedings were underway against the Turkish citizen allegedly responsible for the Russian pilot’s death – another condition named by Russia in order to restore the severed ties.