"We are returning to the relations we used to have with Russia. In the tourist industry, challenged by the serious crisis, after Russia lifted restrictions, Russian tourists have started to arrive in Turkey, and the flow of tourists is going to rise," Yildirim said as he spoke at a meeting of the Turkish government.
On June 27, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a letter addressed to Putin apologized for the downing of a Russian Su-24 attack aircraft by a Turkish jet in Syria and extended his condolences to the family of the pilot killed in the incident.
By doing so Ankara fulfilled one of the conditions put forward by Moscow following the incident that paralyzed the long-term partnership between the two countries. The letter also said legal proceedings were underway against the Turkish citizen allegedly involved in the Russian pilot’s death – another condition named by Russia in order to restore the severed ties.
On June 29, Erdogan and Putin had a phone conversation during which they agreed to have a personal meeting later this year.
