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Turkey president sends message to Putin for better bilateral ties

Xinhua, June 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent a message to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin celebrating the National Day of Russia, NTV reported Tuesday.

In the written message, Erdogan expressed his will for better relations between the two countries, NTV reported.

Turkish presidential sources also confirmed the letter which was sent on June 12.

"On behalf of the Turkish people, I celebrate the National Day of the Russian people. I also hope that relations between Russia and Turkey reach the level they deserve in the near future," Erdogan said the message, according to local media.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim sent a similar message to his Russian counterpart Medvedev.

"I hope that the cooperation and relations between our countries reach the level necessary for the common goals of our people soon. I wish health and prosperity to all Russians," Yildirim said.

The message came amid efforts by Turkey to mend ties with its northern neighbor which have been deeply scarred after Turkish warplanes downed a Russian jet in November, 2015.

A Russian Su-24 bomber was downed on November 24 last year by a Turkish F-16 fighter near the border of Syria and Turkey. Russia denied the jet had violated Turkey's airspace.

Describing the incident as the biggest crisis in history between the two countries, Russia imposed a comprehensive set of sanctions against Turkey.

Relations between Turkey and Russia can be restored, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on May 30, following Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statement on normalizing the bilateral relations. Endit