Turkey agrees with Russia over partial lifting of visas

Ankara has agreed with Russia in principle over the lifting of visas for businessmen, truck drivers and service passport holders, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the 10th Ambassadors' Conference in the capital Ankara, Çavuşoğlu said he on Tuesday discussed with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov the lifting of visas for Turkish citizens, and also exchanged views on Syria and Idlib.

"Of course our desire is the total lifting of visas," Cavusoglu said.

Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday said in a statement that Moscow is "willing" to lift visa regime in some categories for Turkish citizens.

Following Turkey’s shooting down of an intruding Russian military jet over the Turkey-Syria border in November 2015, Russia imposed a range of unilateral sanctions on Turkey, including a ban on food imports and an end to visa-free travel.