Erdogan Sends Letter to Putin, Hopes for Improved Ties With Russia

Sputnik News

15:41 14.06.2016(updated 17:22 14.06.2016)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia's national holiday, expressing hope for good bilateral relations.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Turkish-Russian relations deteriorated after a Turkish F-16 fighter downed a Russian Su-24 bomber over Syria on November 24, 2015. The jet was carrying out anti-terrorist operations in Syria. The crew of the plane ejected and one of the pilots, Oleg Peshkov, was killed by ground fire, while the second pilot survived.

Moscow imposed a number of restrictive measures on Turkey in response to what Russian President Vladimir Putin classified as a "stab in the back."

"Dear Mr. President. On behalf of the Turkish people, I congratulate all Russians on Russia Day, and hope that the relations between Russia and Turkey reach the level they deserve [to be at]," the note read.

In May, Putin said Moscow was willing to resume its relations with Ankara. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu proposed establishing a joint working group with Russia in a bid to normalize the stalled Ankara-Moscow relations.

Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim in a letter to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev expressed hope that, "in the near future, cooperation and relations between the two countries will reach a level that is essential for the common interests of our peoples."

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