Russia lifts ban on import of some Turkish fruits, vegetables

ANKARA/NICOSIA

AFP photo

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told his Turkish counterpart Binali Yıldırım by phone on March 9 that Moscow had removed a ban on the import of some Turkish agricultural products, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported. 

Yıldırım and Medvedev spoke by phone ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Moscow on March 10 in a bid to boost bilateral ties. 

During the call, Medvedev said he had signed a decree lifting sanctions imposed by Russia on some Turkish agricultural products, the agency said, citing a Turkish prime ministry source. 

The premiers also discussed trade, transportation, agriculture, customs, energy and visa regime issues, the source added.      

Russia imposed sanctions on various Turkish agricultural products after Ankara shot down a Russian jet on the Syrian border on November 2015. After the start of the normalization process, Russia removed sanctions on some of the products, particularly on citrus fruits, but the majority of the sanctions remain in place.