ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkey could sign a pact on free trade with Russia as soon as next year and will hopefully see a rise in economic figures, Turkish Trade and Customs Minister Bulent Tufenkci told Sputnik.
"Considering the process of normalization in our relations and the possibility of signing a free trade agreement in 2017, we expect a rise in indicators across all spheres of economy and trade with Russia," the minister said.
Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet near the Syrian border a year ago put a strain on Russian-Turkish ties. In June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized for the attack in a letter to Vladimir Putin, signaling a thaw in bilateral relations.
Turkey Expects Lifting Ban on More Items of Fruit, Vegetable Exports to Russia
Russia will soon take more Turkish-grown fruits and vegetables off its sanctions list, Tufenkci told Sputnik.
"The Russian market has reopened its doors to us. We can already import oranges, tangerines, apricots, peaches, and plums. We are continuing talks with Russia and we know that Russia will soon allow sales of other crops," Tufenkci said.
The Turkish trade minister said that prior to sanctions Russia imported around 40 percent of Turkey’s fruits and vegetables. It was Turkey’s first largest buyer of tangerines, lemons and grapefruits, and the second largest market for oranges.
As of now, Russia still keeps Turkish grapes, apples, pears, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, onions, cauliflower, whole chickens and turkeys and their subproducts, among other food items.
