Vladimir Putin: signs sanctions against Turkey

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a decree imposing economic sanctions against Turkey, including a ban on importing certain Turkish goods.

The sanctions followed the downing of a Russian war jet by Turkey on the grounds that it flew over its airspace without authorisation.

The retaliatory sanctions also include prohibition of Turkish companies’ activities in Russian territories, according to a document posted at the website of the Kremlin.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had expressed “sadness” over an incident which has severely strained relations, saying that “we wish it had never happened.”

The new measures come into effect from January 1, according to the decree which adds that “organisations under Turkish jurisdiction” will also find their ability to operate in Russia curtailed.

Furthermore, certain types of goods from the Turkish republic will be subject to “bans or limitations”. The list of affected goods has not yet been made public.

The Kremlin’s press service said Putin had also instructed the government to “define a list of goods and services to which the economic measures against (Ankara) do not apply.”

It added that alongside “measures banning charter traffic between Russia and Turkey” Putin urged Russian tour operators to “refrain from proposing products to Russian citizens involving a visit to Turkish territory.”

In addition, Turkish airlines will have to undergo increased controls in Russia “for security reasons.”

The decree also officially confirms that Turks will have to apply for visas to visit Russia, a move which Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had announced Friday.

Tuesday’s downing of a Sukhoi 24 jet on the border with Syria on Tuesday has caused a crisis in bilateral relations.

NATO member Turkey blasted the Russian jet out of the sky after claiming it crossed into its airspace and ignored several warnings to change course, but Putin furiously denied the claims and demanded an apology which Erdogan has rejected.

Putin, whose government supports the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whereas Ankara backs rebels fighting to topple him, described the incident as a “stab in the back committed by accomplices of terrorists.”