MOSCOW

The Kremlin Thursday announced new measures making it easy for many Turkish citizens to visit Russia.

Under a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin, Turkish holders of special and service passports paying short-term visits to Russia will no longer need to obtain visas.

Putin also ordered the Foreign Ministry to send a notification to Turkish officials about this partial restoration of visa-free travel.

The measure is valid on a reciprocal basis, the decree added, and goes into effect as of its publication.

Russia had suspended the visa-free regime in late 2015, amid tensions over the downing of a Russian jet along the Turkish-Syrian border.