Russia 'willing' to lift visa for Turkish citizens

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA

Moscow is willing to lift visa regime in some categories for Turkish citizens, Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Following Turkey’s shooting down of an intruding Russian military jet over the Turkey-Syria border in November 2015, Russia imposed a range of unilateral sanctions on Turkey, including a ban on food imports and an end to visa-free travel.

In a statement, the Russian ministry said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Turkey on Aug. 13 and 14 to attend the 10th Ambassadors Conference, which will be held on Aug. 12-17 in both the capital Ankara and in the central Konya province.

"It is planned to discuss the prospects of easing travel regime for the citizens of the two countries. We confirm willingness to lift the visa regime in certain categories for Turkish citizens," it said.

According to the statement, Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu will also discuss bilateral relations as well as regional issues, particularly Syria.