Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Russia and Turkey intend to improve relations, so the decision of the Turkish president to send a congratulatory letter to his Russian counterpart is not surprising, head of Istanbul bureau of the largest Turkish state news agency 'Anadolu' Huseyn Altinalan told Trend June 14.
Altinalan was commenting on the congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the occasion of the Russia Day.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia Day June 14.
In his letter to Putin, Erdogan said he wishes the Russian-Turkish relations to reach a deserved level.
Altinalan didn't rule out that Moscow and Ankara have long been holding secret negotiations for the normalization of their relations, as the crisis in relations affects both countries.
Relations between Russia and Turkey deteriorated after Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber on Nov. 24, 2015. Turkey said the bomber entered its airspace, while Russia denied its warplane flying into the Turkish skies.
Altinalan noted that the Russian authorities in order not to lose their credibility in the country always waited for Turkey to make the first step, and Erdogan's letter to President Putin can be considered as the first step to normalize relations.
Commenting on Erdogan's message, Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Omar Celik said June 14 that Erdogan's letter of congratulations to President Vladimir Putin is the first step towards the normalization of relations.
Turkey has never closed diplomatic channels with Russia, a source in the Turkish presidential administration told Trend.
Ankara and Moscow were affected the most from the crisis in relations between the two countries, according to the source.
Turkey, as earlier, has stated that at the time when the Russian Su-24 was shot down, Ankara didn't know who owned the plane, added the source.
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