Moscow Expects Turkey to Protect Tourists, Urges Russians to Be Vigilant

The Russian Foreign Ministry urged Ankara to provide the highest level of security for Russian tourists and called on Russian travelers to carefully assess risks existing in Turkey.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia expects Turkey to take exhaustive measures to ensure that Russian citizens planning to travel to Turkey are safe, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday.

"We expect Turkey to take all the best possible comprehensive measures to ensure the security of Russian citizens who intend to visit Turkey," Zakharova said in comments published on the ministry website.

She urged Russian citizens planning trips to Turkey to exercise caution, assess the situation and potential threats in view of the existing danger in the tourist destination.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation for the first time in more than seven months. The leaders agreed to restore cooperattion, inluding in the spheres of trade, tourism and the fight against terrorism.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin to express regret and send condolences for the November 2015 downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber in Syria by Turkey.