Russia has lifted its ban on charter flights to Turkey, the government has revealed. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed the directive lifting the nine-month ban on such flights, although there is still an official recommendation for all airlines to take additional security measures to ensure the safety of tourists travelling to Turkey.
The lifting of the ban was on the agenda for discussions between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during the Turkish president’s recent visit to St. Petersburg.
Relations between Ankara and Moscow deteriorated after the Turkish air force downed a Russian jet fighter near the Syrian border last November. It was claimed that the Russian aircraft had violated Turkish airspace.