By Hanife Sevinc and Andac Hongur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey and Russia signed a declaration in Istanbul on Monday to remove restrictions on bilateral trade that had been placed after the shooting down of a Russian military jet in 2015.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and his Russian counterpart Dimitri Medvedev witnessed the signing of the declaration on the sidelines of the 25th anniversary summit of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
The declaration -- signed by Deputy Premier Mehmet Simsek and Russian Deputy Premier Arkady Dvorkovich -- aims to normalize and develop economies, and enhance the current trade volume between Russia and Turkey.
Moscow took several measures against Ankara, including a ban on imports of Turkish agricultural products and ending visa-free travel for Turks after Turkey shot down a Russian military jet over an airspace violation in November 2015.
Since last summer, Russia has relaxed the measures and lifted bans on some products, particularly citrus fruits.