Turkey sees acceleration to smooth relations with Russia

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said Monday the normalization process between Turkey and Russia has entered a new period after recent positive messages from Turkish leadership.

“We see acceleration in steps to smooth over relations with Russia,” Kurtulmuş said following a cabinet meeting in Ankara.

Ties between Ankara and Moscow have been frayed since November 2015, when a Russian SU-24 jet shot down by Turkish F-16 fighter jet in Turkish border with Syria.

After the incident, Russia imposed sanctions on Turkish goods, canceled the visa-free travel agreement and imposed other travel restrictions, and banned Turkish citizens from working in Turkish company operating in Russia.

Turkish Deputy PM said, “We see normalization in relations between Ankara and Moscow following some positive steps from Turkey.”

Kurtulmuş said that Russia has already lifted the embargo on Turkish workers and allowed them to work in Russia.

“We hope this will be the beginning,” he said.

He said that a certain point has also been reached in normalization of relations with Israel.

Regarding the agreement for normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel, Kurtulmuş said both countries' prime ministers will make an official statement at 1 pm simultaneously describing the details of agreement.

He said that the Turkish cabinet also discussed providing residence permits and citizenship to foreigners who invest a certain volume of money in Turkey for a certain period.