Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan expect that the countries will be able to resume tourism ties thanks to measures taken in the republic to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
"It is the mutual opinion that the anti-epidemic measures being taken will make it possible to achieve a radical improvement of the situation and resume bilateral ties in the tourism sphere," the Kremlin press service reported on Wednesday following the leaders' telephone conversation. The Kremlin added that Erdogan thanked for Russia's assistance in this sphere.
Putin and Erdogan also discussed the possibility of producing the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine at Turkish facilities and supplying the drug to the republic. "The topic of combating the spread of coronavirus infection was discussed in detail, including taking into account the epidemiological situation in Turkey," the press service said in a statement. It noted that Russia's "readiness for increasing practical cooperation in this direction" was "stressed.
"In particular, it is a question of organizing supplies of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V as soon as possible, starting from this month," the Kremlin said, adding that "possibilities of setting up joint production of the vaccine at Turkish enterprises are also being worked out."
Sputnik V was previously approved for emergency use by Turkey's Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices.
About the situation in Turkey and tourism
Turkish authorities imposed a full lockdown across the country from April 29 to May 17 due to a sharp spike in the spread of the coronavirus. All offices and workplaces in the country have been closed, except for those separately agreed by the Interior Ministry. Intercity travel is subject to compulsory authorization, and public transport operates at 50% load factor.
Because of the new outbreak of the disease, Russia has limited passenger air traffic with Turkey from April 15 to June 1, the number of flights was reduced to two per week on a reciprocal basis. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy are reportedly ready to visit Moscow in May for talks on the epidemic situation in order to address Russian concerns and provide all necessary information.
Turkish Ambassador to Russia Mehmet Samsar earlier told TASS that Turkey intends to vaccinate all those working in the tourism sector in the republic by the end of May.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from RIA Novosti