“We are making multilateral steps for development of relations with Russia. They will continue developing. This is a step-by-step process, everything cannot be restored in one day. But the process is moving forward more quickly than we expected it to,” Yildirim said.
The official added he was expected to meet Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev “in the nearest future.” The sides are expected to discuss mutual investment and cooperation in trade energy, transport and agriculture sectors.
Turkey and Russia have narrowed their differences on the conflict in Syria, Binali Yildirim said.
"Our positions are closer. For example, Russia believes our actions in the framework of the Euphrates Shield operation are reasonable and fair," Yildirim said.
Moscow and Ankara embarked on reconciliation efforts this summer following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's apology for the November 2015 downing of a Russian Su-24 combat aircraft over Syria. Turkey launched its military campaign in northern Syria in August 2016 with the stated goal of clearing the area of terrorist and Kurdish presence.
"Therefore we can say that within the normalization process after the crisis with the plane, as compared with the past, our positions on a number of regional issues are much closer," Yildirim stressed.
