VLADIVOSTOK, October 22. /TASS/. The presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have made big efforts in restoring the mutual trust after the "freezing," caused by the attack on the Russian bomber in Syria, the Russian president’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the Vesti V Subbotu weekly television program on Saturday.
"President Putin has rather trustful relations with President Erdogan," he said, adding the leaders "discuss most sensitive topics, related to the situation in the region, and to bilateral relations." The exchange of information on those sensitive topics "proves the high level of trust."
"I believe, of course, destroying mutual trust is very easy and quickly," he continued. "Restoring and rehabilitating it requires time, but, of course, presidents of the two countries have covered a long road there."
Contacts between Russia and Turkey were suspended in many spheres after a Turkish fighter jet had downed a Russian warplane over Syria in November 2015. About seven month later, in late June this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone talk with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in response to his letter in which he had apologized for downing the Russian plane and expressed interest in resolving the bilateral crisis. After that, the Russian government began talks with Turkey on restoring cooperation in trade and other spheres.