Turkey has closed its airspace to Russian military and civilian flights to Syria after notifying Moscow, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavushoglu said Saturday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.
“We were giving permissions in three-month intervals. The latest one was until April,” the minister said in an interview with the press during his flight to Latin America, stating that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had informed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. “Henceforth the flights have stopped,” Cavushoglu added, saying that the process is being conducted through dialogue on both the Montreux Convention and other matters.
Regarding the Russian oligarchs coming to Turkey, Cavushoglu said that Turkey is not participating in sanctions. “If a company wants to do business, they must comply by our and international law,” the minister added.
The foreign minister also touched on the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, saying there is a “comprehensive text” in the works as well as backdoor diplomacy running. “We also see there is a draft joint declaration in this process. The focus is on impartiality, security and guarantees,” adding that Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would need to reach the final decision.