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Turkey to play Russia in friendly

Xinhua, August 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Even though Turkish nation team coach Fatih Terim strengthened that football should stay away from politics, the timing and the venue of the Turkey-Russia friendly on Wednesday, in the resort province of Antalya, means more than a friendship mach.

Terim said that football and sports should be apart from politics and wish the friendly match between Turkey and Russia on Aug. 31 to bring more friendship to the people of two nations.

The game comes weeks after Ankara and Moscow mended ties following the November 2015 crisis that erupted after Turkey downed a Russian jet for violating its airspace on the Syrian border. The crisis was brought to an end following Turkish President Recep Erdogan's June letter to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and a bilateral meeting in Russia on Aug. 9.

The two countries are now seeking ways for joint action against IS in Syria, building a joint mechanism, and more economic cooperation. The game hosting city Antalya, which is among the areas worst hit by the Ankara-Moscow crisis, is now seeing hope for more Russian visitors coming.

Following the rapprochement between Ankara and Moscow, Russian tourists are returning to Turkey. The first charter flights with Russian tourists will fly to Turkey on Sept. 4-5, Maya Lomidze, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, told the TASS news agency on Aug. 29.

While it is unlikely that Putin will be in attendance, some 2,000 Russian fans are expected to attend the game, a spokesman for the Turkish Football Federation has said. Endit