Lavrov may visit Turkey in November or December: Russian envoy

ANKARA

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov arrives at the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Vientiane, Laos July 25, 2016. REUTERS photo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Turkey by the end of 2016, a senior Russian diplomat has said, adding that this visit may take place either in November or December.

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, in an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency on Aug. 17, also called for concrete steps in order for relations between Turkey and Russia to be carried further.

“I’m calling on everybody involved in Turkish-Russian relations to work more effectively. We have to rebuild the structures that have been destroyed. We need to reach the previous level and go beyond to new horizons,” Karlov was quoted as saying.

There has already been an ongoing effort to re-establish relations both in the political and economic fields, he also said, adding that the “next step” was likely to be taken in November or December. 

According to Karlov, the countries’ economy ministers will also meet at a Joint Economic Commission meet in Istanbul in October. 

Ties between the two countries soured after the downing of a Russian jet that violated Turkey’s airspace on the Syrian border in November 2015. 

The issue started to be resolved on June 29 through a letter and subsequent telephone calls between the countries’ leaders. 

On June 30, Russia lifted a ban on tourist flights to Turkey following a phone conversation between Putin and Erdoğan. The Turkish and Russian foreign ministers later met in Sochi on July 1. 

Putin subsequently gave his support to Turkey over the July 15 failed coup attempt, saying he stood by the elected government and offering his condolences to the victims of what Erdoğan called the “most heinous” armed coup attempt in modern Turkish history. 

On July 22, Russia also lifted restrictions on flights to Turkey, which had been implemented temporarily following the coup attempt, after Turkish officials assured their Russian counterparts that additional security measures were being taken.