Russia invites Turkey to economic meeting in Sochi

A senior Russian official said Thursday that Turkey has been invited to a meeting of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation scheduled for July 1 in Sochi, Turkish and Russian media reported.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vasiliy Nebenzya said Moscow expected Turkey to attend the Sochi gathering along with Ukraine, another country with whom Russia has poor relations, according to Russian Sputnik news agency.

Although the meeting is a multilateral platform, Russia is ready to facilitate talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Nebenzya said.

Ankara has not offered any reply to Moscow's invitation until now, but Nebenzya said that attendance is expected to be finalized by next week.

"It marks the first such move after relations between the two countries soured over a downed jet last year," commented Turkish Daily News.

Relations between Ankara and Moscow have been deeply strained since a Russian Su-24 bomber jet was shot down on Nov. 25, 2015. Russia has since imposed a range of economic sanctions against Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to celebrate the Russia Day on June 12. Some interpreted the letter as an important step toward normalizing bilateral ties.

The Kremlin responded that Russia wants to restore relations with Turkey, provided that Ankara takes certain steps first. Endit