Turkey, Russia agree to deepen relations

By Diyar Guldogan

SOCHI, Russia (AA) - Ankara and Moscow have agreed to deepen bilateral ties, Turkey’s president said on Monday.

"We have agreed to deepen our relations," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the presidential residence in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi, following a meeting between the two leaders.

Erdogan added that he was “pleased” that relations between Ankara and Moscow have reached a "very advanced level".

He reiterated Turkey's desire to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion, but added to achieve this aim, "all restrictions [against Turkey], including the visa ban on businessmen," must be lifted.

After Turkey shot down a Russian military jet over an airspace violation in November 2015, Moscow took several measures against Ankara, including banning the imports of Turkish agricultural products and ending visa-free travel for Turks.

In June, Moscow lifted the ban on some agricultural produce as well as Turkish firms involved in construction, engineering, and tourism.

Putin said that Russia and Turkey had reached a "pre-crisis level".

The leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional and international developments, particularly Syria, they said.