Russia set to lift barriers on Turkey within week

MOSCOW

AP photo

Trade and travel restrictions left over from a diplomatic spat with Turkey over a year ago will be lifted within a week, Russia’s deputy prime minister said May 17, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.  

“Nearly 99 percent of the work has been completed,” Arkady Dvorkovich told reporters in Russia’s coastal town of Sochi.        

Dvorkovich said the agreements reached earlier this month between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were put on paper and only formal adjustments remain.     
   
“I think they will be completed this week,” he said, without mentioning specifics.  

Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will chair the Russian delegation at a meeting of heads of states of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) countries in Istanbul on May 22. 

During a May 3 visit to Russia, Erdoğan and Putin had agreed on all trade issues, including food and textiles, except for tomatoes.        

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

Since last summer, Russia has relaxed the measures and lifted bans on some products, particularly citrus fruits.