(VOVworld) – In an interview with TV channel Al Arabiya on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey wants to resume bilateral ties with Russia in a diplomatic manner and hopes that relations between the two countries will be normalized soon.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: Associated Press)
Erdogan said he hoped Foreign Ministers from both sides would continue negotiations to resolve existing differences.

Turkey-Russia relations have become tense after the Turkish air force shot down a Russian fighter jet, Su-24, while it was on a military operation against the Islamic State in Syria on November 24. Turkey accused Russia of violating its airspace while Russia rejected the claims, saying that Turkey’s action aided terrorism.