Foreign
TURKEY and Russia have agreed to resume flights between their countries starting on July 15, after they were suspended in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
“As of today, we have agreed with Russia to resume flights,’’ Transport Minister Adil Karaismailoglu said on Wednesday, according to state news agency Anadolu.
Turkey had resumed limited international flights on June 11, after suspending them for more than two months amid the pandemic.
Including Russia, Turkey now flies to 32 countries, Karaismailoglu added.
Russia did not immediately confirm the move.
The head of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Maya Lomidze, said that Turkey was ready to reopen its borders to Russian tourists, in comments carried by Russian state news agency TASS on Tuesday.
Tourism remains a major source of income for Turkey’s ailing economy.
In 2019, Russia sent the highest number of visitors to Turkey with just over seven million, followed by five million from Germany, according to government figures.
Since confirming its first case on March 11, Turkey has reported 5,402 deaths from Covid-19 and nearly 215,000 infections.
The number of cases reported in a day fell to below 1,000 on Tuesday, the first time in more than a month.
NAN
– Jul. 15, 2020 @ 15:39 GMT
Tags: Russia agree to resume flights between their countries Turkey
