MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. Russia and Turkey will take further steps to liberalize visa requirements and finally abolish entry visas for professional drivers, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday after talks with his visiting Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"We plan to continue work to liberalize visa requirements. Thus, the issue of visa abolition for professional drivers will be settled soon," he said.
The Russian president noted that "the high level of tourist exchanges is a characteristic feature of the Russian-Turkish relations."
"Turkey enjoys ever growing popularity among Russian tourists who visit both Turkish resorts and its numerous historic and cultural sites," Putin said, adding that in 2018 Russia was number one in terms of foreign tourists in Turkey, with about six million Russians visiting that country throughout that year.
Moscow, in his words, highly appreciates "the attention the Turkish authorities are paying to security and comfort of Russian travelers."
"Ties in the spheres of science, education and tourism have always promoted the atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding between our nations," Putin stressed and pointed to the importance of the Cross Year of Russian and Turkish Cultures to be opened on April 8 when Troy, a Turkish-language opera, will be performed in Moscow’s Bolshoi Thater.