Russia is suspending its visa-free regime with Turkey from January 1, 2016, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. The announcement comes in response to the downing of a Russian warplane by the Turkish Air Force earlier this week.
The suspension, which will make it harder for Russians to travel to Turkey, is likely to have a significant negative impact on Turkey's economy.
Addressing a press conference in Moscow on Friday, Lavrov said: "We will suspend the visa-free agreement between Turkey and Russia from Jan. 1, 2016."
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said Turkey and Russia will not sacrifice their bilateral relations because of the recent downing of a Russian aircraft which violated Turkish airspace.
"We wish this crisis to not grow bigger, not to go further, and hope it will be dealt with through mutual negotiations within a short time," he said.
