Moscow expects relations with Turkey to expand

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW

Moscow expects to further expand relations with Turkey, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said Thursday.

"I hope we will not only return to the former state of our relations but take them even further," Meshkov told reporters in Moscow.

Meshkov said economic relations between both countries were also "gradually" getting better.

"Progress in the solution of the Syrian crisis was the most striking example of the improvement of our relations," he added.

Relations between Russia and Turkey soured in 2015 after the downing of Russian jet, which had violated Turkish airspace along the Syrian border. Relations began to thaw on June 29 following a letter and subsequent telephone calls between the countries’ leaders.