"Of course, every state tries to defend its interests. It is normal from the point of view of international law. Turkey seeks to reduce the rate of tensions and develop neighborly relations…It is interesting that those who yesterday criticized worsening of relations of Turkey with Russia and Israel, today criticize the normalization process. It means that the emphasis is made on a maximum damage for Ankara," Bozdag said, as quoted by the Anadolu news agency.
Bozhag noted that the normalization of the Russia-Turkey relations was profitable for both sides.
On June 27, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, apologized for the downing of a Russian Su-24 attack aircraft by a Turkish jet in November 2015 and extended his condolences to the family of the pilot killed in the incident. Earlier this week, Erdogan and Putin had a phone conversation during which they agreed to hold a personal meeting later this year.
By doing so Ankara fulfilled one of the conditions put forward by Moscow following the incident that paralyzed the long-term partnership between the two countries.
