MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree extending Moscow’s economic sanctions against Turkey, Kremlin officials say.
The decree, signed on Monday, is to implement unenforced sanctions initially imposed on Turkey on November 28 together with a set of new measures to come into force as of January 1, 2016.
Russia’s primary sanctions against Turkey came four days after the Turkish military onNovember 24 brought down a Russian Sukhoi aircraft, which as Ankara claimed, violated the Turkish airspace near the Syrian border. Moscow rejected the claim.
The sanctions included a ban on the employment of Turkish citizens by Russian employers, restricted imports of certain Turkish goods such as vegetables and fruits, ban on charter flights between the two countries and also suspension of travel package sale to Turkey.
According to the new presidential order, there will be a ban imposed on the operations of several organizations under the jurisdiction of Turkey as well as a limitation of Turkish organizations’ activities in Russia.
Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also announced that Moscow is to introduce additional measures against Ankara in retaliation for the downing of the Russian jet.
“There will be further action, which will be announced later, the prime minister has already announced them at the [government] meetings,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.
Dvorkovich, refusing termination of cooperation between Russia and Turkey, added, “We believe that there is a need for an adequate response towards the unfriendly actions.”
Referring to the incident as “a stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists,” Putin had already said the downing of the Russian plane would have “serious consequences” for Moscow-Ankara ties.
INP
