Erdogan hopes for ‘quick’ return to normal Turkey-Russia ties
In bid to restore relations, Turkish leader expressed ‘regret’ over downing of Russian fighter plane last year
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ANKARA, Turkey – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he hoped for a “quick” normalization in ties with Russia after he expressed regret over the downing of one of Moscow’s military jets.
“I hope we can put behind us the current situation, which is detrimental to both countries, and advance towards a quick normalization,” he said in a dinner to break the Ramadan fast at his presidential palace in Ankara.
“Turkey has always shown its friends that it is a trusting country.”
The Kremlin said earlier Monday that Erdogan had apologized to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over Ankara’s downing of one of Moscow’s military jets in Syria last year, which shattered ties between the countries.
Putin had repeatedly demanded an apology from Erdogan and the latest move could help end a feud that has seen Moscow impose a raft of sanctions on Ankara.
“The head of the Turkish state in his message expressed his sympathy and deepest condolences to the family of the dead Russian pilot and said sorry,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency reported that presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Erdogan had written to Putin to “express his regrets” about the downing of the warplane, but did not explicitly confirm Erdogan had apologized over the incident.
The Times of Israel Community.