Russia could restore the licenses of Turkish-owned tour operators that were revoked as part of the country's sanctions against Turkey, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday.
Russia's federal tourism agency Rostourism is currently studying documents submitted by tour companies and will make a decision on the matter soon, the news agency reported, citing Izo Arakhamiya, head of the agency's legal department.
Considering such documents usually takes about five working days. If the papers prove that the companies are not controlled by Turkish nationals, they will be reinstated in the federal registry of tour operators, Arakhamiya added.
On Dec. 30, Rostourism revoked the licenses of 19 tour operators associated with Turkish companies or individuals.
The measure, which came into force on Jan. 1, affected major travel companies including Coral Travel, Anex Tour, Sunmar and Pegas Touristik.
Russia introduced a number of economic sanctions against Turkey in November following the downing of its warplane near the Turkish-Syrian border.
Among the restrictions is a ban on importing many Turkish food products and the suspension of charter flights to Turkey.
On Dec. 30, Russia banned Turkish-controlled companies involved in tourism or the construction industry from doing business in the country.
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