Putin: Russia-Turkey relations have returned to normal

Relations between Russia and Turkey have turned to normal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, until he met with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayip Erdogan in the town of Soci.

I would like to stress at the beginning of our meeting that our relations could be considered entirely established”, Putin said, the TASS news agency.

Relations between Russia and Turkey have been severely strained as the Turkish air force has crashed a Russian plane near the Syrian border in November 2015, but since then Putin and Erdogan have taken steps to improve them.

Along with Iran, they have sponsored a series of negotiations on the Syria conflict in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.

Addressing reporters in Istanbul before leaving for Soci, Erdogan has described Putin as the beloved <x0m>>”.