Report: PM says Russia ready for talks with Turkey at any level

MOSCOW, Jul 1 (PRIME) -- Russia is ready to hold talks with the Turkish authorities at any level, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with Rossiya 1 television channel partially broadcast on Friday.

“Ministers, deputy prime ministers will be working, I’m ready to be involved as well,” he said.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to abolish restrictions against Turkey and ordered the government to take measures to abolish a ban on charter flights between the countries.

Relations between the two countries worsened after Turkey downed a Russian Su-24 jet in November 2015. In response, Russia introduced economic restrictions against Turkey, including a ban on some food imports and a restriction of construction companies’ operation in the country, and also abolished a visa-free regime with the country.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to Putin expressing his condolences to the family of the downed plane’s pilot. On Wednesday, after a phone conversation with Erdogan, Putin ordered the government to start normalizing relations with Turkey.

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