Turkey warns citizens against travel to Russia

Turkey warned its citizens on Saturday to postpone their travel to Russia amid a worsening relationship between Ankara and Moscow after the downing of a Russian warplane.

"We have seen that our citizens are facing problems in their travels and residences in Russia since Nov. 24 over recent developments in relations between Turkey and Russia," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

It would be a benefit of Turkish nationals to postpone their travels to Russia unless there is an absolute necessity, it added..

Russia has recently halted his visa-free agreement with Turkey as the latest measures.

The Turkey-Russia ties took a dive after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border on Tuesday for allegedly violating its airspace.

Moscow has denied that the plane veneered into the Turkish airspace, saying the attack looks like a pre-planned provocation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the incident a "stab in the back' and warned of serious consequences for bilateral relations, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once more called on Putin to solve the problem through dialogue.

He reiterated his call to Putin for a bilateral meeting in Paris on Nov. 30 during a climate conference.

Earlier, Erdogan urged Moscow "not to play with fire" over the crisis between two countries.

"Putin says 'those who have double standards on terrorism are playing with fire.' I totally agree with him," Erdogan said Friday. Endit