Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 24
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey is not the enemy of Russia and its people, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The president noted that while some western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow, Turkey supported Russia, but its authorities didn't appreciate it, TRT Haber TV channel reported Feb. 24.
"Turkey is not the reason of deterioration in Moscow-Ankara relations," said Erdogan. "Russia gave up its relations with Ankara due to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad."
Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that normalization of relations between Russia and Turkey depends on Moscow.
He said that Turkey earlier attempted to normalize the relations with Russia, but the latter rejected it.
"We, as before, stand for normalizing the relations with Russia. Meanwhile, Ankara intends to protect its airspace," said Davutoglu.
The relations between Russia and Turkey have deteriorated following the SU-24 incident. Following this, Russian president signed a decree on measures to ensure the national security and special economic measures against Turkey.
Edited by SI
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