Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has instructed ministers to prepare measures for the removal of economic sanctions against Turkey, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday.
Medvedev said that the sanctions will be lifted in phases “to avoid damaging Russian manufacturers.”
“On the one hand, it is necessary to abolish these restrictions amid an improvement in the political climate, but certainly not to cause damage to Russian producers and partners who have already occupied a niche [in the Russian market],” Medvedev was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to lift tourism-related restrictions against Turkey following the a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Erdogan after an eight-month standoff.
The Kremlin imposed a package of economic measures against Turkey in late November last year after the country's air force shot down a Russian Su-24 fighter jet near the Syrian border.
Erdogan on Monday sent Putin a letter apologizing for the incident and offering his condolences to the family of the deceased Russian pilot.
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