Turkey to extend length of visa-free stay for Russians

ANTALYA - Anadolu Agency

AA photo

Turkey will increase the duration of visa-free stay for Russian citizens, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said April 23.      

“We are extending the visa-free period for Russians in Turkey from 60 to 90 days,” Çavuşoğlu told reporters in the Alanya district of the southern province of Antalya.      

Diplomatic relations between Ankara and Moscow soured following the downing of a Russian warplane that violated Turkish airspace in November 2015.     

Kremlin ordered sanctions on Turkish food products, an end to visa-free travel and a ban on Russian tourists buying package holidays in Turkey.    

Relations were normalized in mid-2016 through a letter and subsequent telephone calls between the countries’ leaders. Since then, bilateral relations have increasingly become normalized and are expected to improve further.