"I think that the visas with Russia will be canceled, even if it will be done partially. Perhaps, by the end of this year, the two presidents will say during a telephone conversation or at their nearest personal meeting: 'Let's finally cancel visas,'" Cavusoglu said in an interview with the CNN Turk broadcaster.
Russia introduced a visa regime for Turkish citizens after the deterioration of bilateral relations in November 2015, when Ankara downed a Russian military jet over Syria. Russia's retaliatory measures against Ankara included restrictions on the activities of Turkish organizations in Russia, a hiring freeze on Russian employers that want to employ Turkish workers and a ban on certain food imports since January 1, 2016.
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In early April, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Alexei Erkhov told Sputnik in an interview that Moscow was ready to discuss liberalizing visa regulations for certain categories of Turkish citizens, including businessmen and truck drivers. He expressed hope that the conditions for reinstating visa-free travel for Russian and Turkish citizens would come in the future.
