Russia lifts ban on charter flights to Turkey
Russia has lifted its ban on charter flights to Turkey which was imposed following the shooting down of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border.
The lifting of the ban opens the way to a resumption of the package tours that were a major source of revenue for Turkey.
Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said he was rescinding the ban on the orders of president Vladimir Putin.
Russia imposed the ban in November after Turkey shot down a Russian plane at the Syrian border.
Mr Putin denounced the action as a "treacherous stab in the back."
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologised for the downing and he and Mr Putin patched up relations at a meeting three weeks ago.
Mr Putin said then that charter flights to Turkey could resume "in the near future," but added that painstaking work was still needed to revive trade and economic cooperation.
