Turkey and Russia will start working on normalising their relationship. This is the result of a meeting between Russian President Putin and his Turkish colleague Erdoğan. “It is our priority to once again reach the level from before the crisis in our bilateral relationship,” according to President Putin during the press conference. “That is an important assignment, because Russian-Turkish trade decreased by 43 per cent in only five months of this year.” That trend was started last year, and is ‘disappointing.’
Source: Kremlin
The consultation in St Petersburg yesterday was the first time the presidents met since the relationship chilled in November last year, after the incident in which a Russian fighter plane was downed. The boycott of fruits and vegetables, one of the measures taken by Russia in response to the incident, came up indirectly. Both countries are concerned with more important matters. Turkish Stream, a gaspipe-line to Europe through Turkey, and a nuclear power plant being built in Turkey with Russian money, both in the field of energy. Both projects were halted due to the chilled relationship. Furthermore, the Syrian crisis was also on the agenda.
After the press conference the meeting between the two countries continued, and companies from both countries joined the talks. Putin then referred to “phased lifting of economic measures (the sanctions, ed.) imposed earlier against Turkish companies.” The Turkish president also referred to the boycott. “It is necessary to resume charter flights between the countries, to lift restrictions on Turkish agricultural products and to open the way for Turkish construction companies,” according to Erdoğan.