MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The trade between Turkey and Russia in January have increased for the first time in three years, local media reported on Tuesday.
In January 2017, the exports from Turkey to Russia increased by 59.1 percent and have reached $150 million, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported citing the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
According to the media, due to the lifting of some restrictions on trade between the countries, Turkey’s income from exporting fruits and vegetables to Russia reached almost $38 billion.
The import rates from Russia increased in January by 10.2 percent to $1.5 billion, making Russia the second-largest exporter to the country after China, the institute said, adding that energy and steel made the biggest parts of the trade.
On January 1, 2016, Moscow imposed a number of restrictive measures, including a ban on food and flower imports, on Ankara in response to the downing of a Russian military aircraft by a Turkish fighter jet in Syria on November 24, 2015. Reconciliation process between the countries began in June 2016 after Turkey has apologized for the incident. In October 2016, the Russian embargo on Turkish fresh and dried fruits was lifted, but the imports of tomatoes, apples, strawberries, zucchinis, pumpkins and most poultry products are still banned.
