Kavak underscored the high level of political, economic and cultural cooperation between the countries, which has actively developed in the past few years.
"Russia has always been our reliable partner and the largest market for [Turkey's] fruit and vegetable exports", Kavak said.
Touching on the restrictive measures that Moscow imposed after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, Kavak pointed to the negative impact of the embargo on the Turkish economy, but stressed that he hopes for the normalization of relations in the near future.
"We do not want to lose such an important partner as Russia. We hope that common sense will prevail in the Turkish-Russian relations in the immediate future and that the situation will improve," Kavak said.
He called for the two countries' governments, civil society organizations and business representatives to engage in joint efforts in order to defuse bilateral tensions.
"We do hope that escalation will yield to an atmosphere of stability, friendship and mutually beneficial partnership," Kavak pointed out.
Separately, he recalled that at a time when Moscow and the EU introduced cross economic sanctions, Russia's need for fruits and vegetables had been met due to its supply of Turkish products.
The list of foodstuffs banned starting as of January 1 includes tomatoes, onions, shallots, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, pickles, oranges, tangerines, grapes, apricots, pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, and apples, as well as most chicken and turkey products along with salt and cloves.