Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that he discussed a number of international issues, including the situations in Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
"We discussed a wide range of issues, including the situation in Syria, the latest developments in Libya. We discussed the situation in Afghanistan once again, and Nagorno-Karabakh was also the subject of our discussions," the Turkish foreign minister said.
Moreover, Cavusoglu said that Ankara and Moscow "continue cooperation on the production of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V".
The ministerial talks were held on Wednesday in Antalya. The sides first communicated one-on-one and then in an extended format. The talks lasted about two hours.
Health security of Russian tourists
According to him, Turkey is ready to fully ensure the health security of Russian tourists.
"We are ready to fully ensure health safety for tourists from Russia and all conditions for their vacation. In Antalya, which is a popular destination for Russians, everything is also ready. Mr. Lavrov was able to see it for himself," he said. NTV Channel broadcasted the event.
The Turkish minister recalled that in 2019 the republic received more than six million Russians. "In 2020, that number dropped. But we will try to reach the pre-pandemic numbers [in the number of Russians received] this year," he said.
The operational headquarters for combating coronavirus infection in Russia decided to restore from June 22 in full the air traffic with Turkey, which was previously suspended. On April 15, the operational headquarters suspended all cargo-passenger, charter and almost all regular flights between the two countries because of the coronavirus situation in Turkey.
Last year, 2.1 million Russians visited Turkey, and in 2019, before the pandemic, 6 million, accounting for 12 percent of all foreign tourists in the country, the Anatolian Agency points out. This year, according to the ATOR, 3 million Russians may rest in Turkey from June 22 until the end of September. In this case, as expected, the high season can continue in October, provided good weather and favorable prices.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS