UPDATES WITH DETAIL ON PLANNED MEETING
By Emre Gurkan Abay
MOSCOW (AA) – Restored ties between Russia and Turkey appeared closer Wednesday after President Valdimir Putin said a letter sent by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan had laid the foundation for resolving the nations’ seven-month crisis.
Erdogan wrote to Putin on Monday calling for the restoration of “traditional friendly ties”. This was followed Wednesday by a telephone call between the leaders, which a source in the Turkish presidency described as “very positive”.
The Kremlin later revealed that Putin had lifted a ban on package holidays to Turkey and ordered his government to normalize relations with Turkey, including commercial ties.
The ban and other sanctions were imposed after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that crossed the Syrian border, violating Turkish airspace, last November.
A Turkish official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media said the leaders would meet before September’s G20 meeting in China.
They will also meet during the summit in Hangzhou, the official said.
A statement from Erdogan’s office said the presidents discussed bilateral relations and cooperation on regional issues and humanitarian crises as well as the importance of normalizing relations.
“Mr. President and Mr. Putin pointed to the importance of holding cooperation in the face of political, economic and humanitarian crises in the region as well as taking the necessary steps to revive the bilateral relations,” the statement said.
Putin also condemned Tuesday night’s terror attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport, in which dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured, and offered his condolences.
Both leaders stated their resolve to combat terrorism together and agreed further contact.
On Tuesday, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin signaled the thaw in relations, describing Erdogan’s letter as an “important step” in reviving ties.
