"We have close ties with Russia in the area of agriculture. Regarding the incident, I see no reason to shift the crisis into the economic plain instead of finding a solution to the problem. It is not beneficial to the two countries' interests for the incident to affect agricultural imports and exports," Celik told reporters in Ankara.
Turkish-Russian relations have deteriorated rapidly after the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber by Turkey on Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the plane was downed by an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish F-16 jet over Syrian territory. Ankara claimed that it downed the Russian airplane because it violated Turkish airspace. The Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command have refuted the claims.
Economic relations between the countries have suffered as Russia's federal agency for tourism released a recommendation on Wednesday for tour operators to suspend sales of Turkish tours. Operators ignoring the recommendation will be penalized, the agency said.
