Turkish FM Reveals Details of Talks' With Russia's Lavrov Agenda

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday that he discussed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov the Syrian settlement and issue of visa regime between Turkey and Russia, as well as trade restrictions.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Lavrov and Cavusoglu met in Manila on the sidelines of ASEAN forum.

"We discussed the Syrian topic, including preparations for the next round of the talks in Astana. Touched upon the topic of visa regime. We also exchanged opinions on development of bilateral relations, including the economy, restrictions on supply of tomatoes," Cavusoglu told Anadolu news agency, adding that the meeting was very fruitful.

On January 1, 2016, Russia imposed food embargo on Turkey in response to the 2015 downing of a Russian Su-24 warplane by the Turkish Air Force over Syria. Later in 2016, the countries began to mend bilateral ties.

On May 22, Russia and Turkey signed a joint statement on mutually lifting the remaining trade bans. In early June, the Russian government announced that restrictions on all Turkish food imports, except tomatoes, had been lifted. In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the sector was sensitive due to long-term investments made while restrictions were still in place.