Russian ambassador to Turkey presents credentials

ANKARA

Russia’s new ambassador to Turkey, Aleksey Yerhov, presented his letter of credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 28. 

In May, Yerhov was appointed Russia’s new ambassador to Ankara five months after the assassination of former envoy Andrey Karlov.

Yerhov is the former consul general in Istanbul. 

Karlov was shot dead by police officer Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş on Dec. 19, 2016 as he was delivering a speech at an art exhibition in Ankara. Altıntaş was later gunned down following an exchange of fire with security personnel at the scene.

Altıntaş was involved in an investigation into the Gülenists in 2015. He participated in Gülenist meetings in İzmir, according to a report dated Aug. 13, 2015. 

Karlov’s assassination came at a tumultuous period of relations between Turkey and Russia. 

Ties between the two countries were already strained by the war in Syria when in late 2015 Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 on the Turkey-Syria border.

The appointment comes after a recent meeting between Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 

The normalization of relations between Russia and Turkey is expected to gain a new momentum after his appointment.

Along with Yerhov, Mexican Ambassador Bernardo Cordova Tello also presented his credentials.