MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. Turkey needs to find very serious arguments so that Russia can review bilateral relations for the better, Russian Vice-Premier Alexander Khloponin said on Tuesday.
"This process is complex. What they did with our pilot and the way they behaved with regard to this conflict and our long-term cooperation, I believe that the Turkish side must find very serious and weighty arguments for Russia so that we can review our long-term relations for the better," the vice-premier said in reply to a question about the possibility of normalizing relations with Turkey.
- Turkish citizen suspected of killing Russian pilot to remain in custody until June 2017
- Russian Foreign Ministry: Turkey's "step in the right direction" taken into account
- Turkish PM: Ice in Ankara’s relations with Moscow starts melting
- Deputy PM does not rule out Turkey may reopen to Russian tourists
- Gazprom open for dialogue with Turkey on Turkish Stream gas pipeline project
- Tourism union hopes Turkey may be reopened for Russians after Erdogan’s apologies
- Turkish defense minister says expects serious progress in relations with Russia
As was reported earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 27 that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a letter, apologizing for the Russian Su-24 bomber downed by a Turkish fighter jet and "stresses his readiness to do everything possible to restore traditionally friendly relations between Turkey and Russia."
The relations between Russia and Turkey deteriorated dramatically after the Turkish Air Force shot down the Russian Su-24 bomber over Syria on November 24, 2015. The bomber’s pilots ejected but one of them, Oleg Peskov, was killed by fire from the ground when descending with a parachute. The second pilot was rescued and taken to the Russian air base.
The Russian president warned then that the attack on the bomber would have "serious consequences" for bilateral relations.
President Putin signed a decree on November 28, 2015 on measures to ensure the national security of Russia and protect Russian citizens from criminal and other unlawful acts and on applying special economic measures against the Turkish Republic.