Putin and Erdogan mend ties after Russia-Turkey jet incident

The Russian and Turkish leaders have spoken for the first time in more than six months.

The leaders of Turkey and Russia have spoken for the first time since the downing of a Russian military jet by Turkey sparked a diplomatic crisis.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin agreed over the phone to meet in person, Mr Erdogan's office said. The call came after Turkey expressed "regret" earlier this week to Mr Putin and to the family of the Russian pilot killed in the incident.

The fighter jet was shot down near the Syria-Turkey border in November. Turkey claimed that the jet was warned repeatedly after entering Turkish airspace, a claim fiercely denied by Russian officials.


In the call, Mr Putin also called an attack on Istanbul's Ataturk on Tuesday "heinous". A spokesman for Mr Erdogan said on Wednesday that "necessary steps" would now be taken to mend the damaged ties between the two countries, and to drop restrictive measures on Russians visiting Turkey.

"Reiterating their commitment to reinvigorate bilateral relations and fight terrorism together, the two leaders agreed to remain in contact and meet in person," he said.