Compensation for Downing Su-24 Not Discussed at Expanded Putin-Erdogan Talks

The compensation for the Russian plane Turkey downed in November was not discussed during the meeting of the presidents of two countries in an expanded format, Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Ulyukayev spoke to reporters shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived in St. Petersburg for first talks to reset bilateral relations after the November 2015 downing of a Russian aircraft by Turkey.

"[The issue of compensation] was not voiced where I was taking part, in the expanded format," Ulyukayev told reporters.

The meeting in Russia’s Saint Petersburg was focused on the restoration of relations with Turkey, as Ankara and Moscow ended months of strained relations in late June when Erdogan wrote a letter to Putin, in which he apologized shooting down a Russian bomber over Syria in November.

Following Erdogan's move, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree lifting restrictions on Russian citizens travel to Turkey, specifically a ban on charter flights to the country and selling tour packages to Turkey.