Davutoglu Claims Ankara Ignored NATO, EU Criticism of Relations With Moscow

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu claimed during his visit to Azerbaijan on Friday that Ankara had never attached importance to criticism from NATO and the European Union of its warm relations with Russia.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — According to the prime minister, Turkey has done everything possible to maintain and develop its relations with Russia.

"We have always attached special importance to our relations with Russia. Moreover, Turkey has become a target of criticism from NATO and the EU, because of our close relationship with Russia…We never paid attention to this criticism," Davutoglu said, speaking at a diplomatic academy in Baku.

Russian-Turkish relations deteriorated following the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber by a Turkish F-16 fighter in Syria on November 24.

In response to this "stab in the back," as it was described by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow imposed a number of restrictive measures on Turkey, including import restrictions, a ban on Turkish organizations' activities in Russia and an embargo on the employment of Turkish citizens in Russia. All of the measures are due to take effect from January 1, 2016.