Turkey voices hope in normalization of ties with Russia
By Aynur Karimova
Turkey has expressed hope in normalization of relations with Russia both in political and economic spheres.
Commenting on recent developments in the Ankara-Moscow ties, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on April 26 that the visit of a Turkish delegation to Russia to hold talks in the agricultural sector is a step towards this purpose.
"Hopefully, it will bring positive results," he added.
Turkey's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock told Trend on April 25 that Ankara and Moscow will discuss the prospects for resuming the supply of Turkish agricultural products to Russia.
The discussions will be held during the visit of a delegation of Turkey's Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock to Russia on April 26.
The relations between Russia and Turkey have deteriorated since last November over the Su-24 incident, which took a life of a Russian soldier.
Following the jet crisis, Russia imposed an embargo on visas on Turkish travelers, as well as banned the sale of tour packages and charter flights to Turkey.
In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin also signed an order to extend Russian economic sanctions against Turkey.
The sanctions include a ban on Russian firms importing a range of Turkish foodstuffs, as well as canceling a visa-free regime and restricting Turkish companies from working in certain Russian business sectors, including tourism.
Also, since January 1, 2016, Russia banned the import of several fruits and vegetables from Turkey.
After these sanctions, economic relations between the two countries saw decline. In particular, statistics show that before the jet incident, about 1,500 Turkish companies operated in Russia in businesses ranging from construction and tourism to imports of Turkish fruit, vegetables and textiles. However, currently, only about 200 Turkish firms are operating in Russia, according to non-official statistics.
Also, statistics show that Turkish exports to Russia fell to around $108 million in January, down two-thirds on the previous year. Russian exports to Turkey, mainly of energy, were 30 percent lower at $1.3 billion, reflecting weak oil prices.
Therefore, rapprochement of relations is important both for Russia and Turkey. Experts believe that recent developments in the two countries' ties show that Russia and Turkey may restore their once warm relations.
In particular, the first visit of a Russian military delegation to Izmir on March 29, as well as the two countries' recent agreement on the observation flights that were cancelled since February 4, can be considered as Ankara and Moscow's desire to open a new page in the bilateral ties.
Experts say that the arrest of Alparslan Celik, who shot at the second Russian pilot who catapulted after the destruction of the Russian Su-24 bomber, is a step towards warming relations with Russia as well.
Celik, who shot at the second Russian pilot who catapulted after the destruction of the Russian Su-24 bomber, has been arrested in Turkey’s Izmir province, Hurriyet newspaper reported on March 31.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a speech in Washington, and voiced the importance of resuming the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
While speaking at the Brookings Institution as part of his visit to the U.S., Erdogan stressed the importance to resume the Russian-Turkish cooperation to resolve the regional problems.
Russian officials also say that the breakdown in relations between Turkey and Russia is temporary.
Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of Russian Foreign Ministry, while responding to a question whether the row between Moscow and Ankara was temporary, said “certainly."
--
Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter @Aynur_Karimova
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz