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Russia mulls sanctions on Turkey

Xinhua, November 27, 2015

• Russia is expecting from Turkey a high level apology and compensation for the damage caused by Tuesday's downing of a Su-24 aircraft, and is considering retaliatory economic sanctions, the country's leaders said Thursday.

  Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint press conference with his French counterpart Francois Hollande (not in the picture) after their meeting in Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 26, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

  "We have not yet received any clear apology from Turkey's high political level, nor any proposal to compensate the harm and damage or promises to punish perpetrators of the crime," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a ceremony of the presentation of credentials by new foreign ambassadors.

  Putin slammed the Turkish leadership for deliberately steering the Russia-Turkey ties into the dead end, which he said was "regrettable."

  He said that Moscow considered the downing a "treacherous stab in the back", saying the act contradicted common sense and violated international law.

  Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called the downing of the Russian warplane an "act of aggression," and instructed the government to prepare possible economic sanctions against Turkey within two days.

  "Government departments have been asked to formulate a series of measures to respond to this act of aggression," Medvedev told a government meeting Thursday.

  Under Russian legislation, Medvedev said, restrictions could involve suspension of economic cooperation programs, limitations of financial transactions including foreign trade and export and import duties, cutting tourism and circulation of aircraft and vessels, as well as humanitarian contacts and employment of foreign citizens.

  He suggested freezing or curtailing some investment projects involving Turkish companies and canceling negotiations on an agreement granting preferential treatment to Turkey.

  Restrictions should be imposed and remain in place until there is an improvement in the bilateral relations, Medvedev added.

  Russia tightens control of Turkish food imports

  The Russian government on Thursday tightened control over imports of farm products from Turkey as ties between the two countries plummeted after the downing of a Russian warplane.

  "Given the repeated violations of Russian standards by Turkish producers, the Russian government has ordered Rosselkhoznadzor (the animal and plant watchdog) to put deliveries of agricultural products and food from Turkey under strict control," Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev said in a statement.

  The Agriculture Ministry had found in an inspection that an average of 15 percent of Turkish farm products did not comply with Russian standards, said the statement.

  This year, residues of banned and harmful substances in Turkish products of animal origin have been discovered at least 40 times, while excessive levels of pesticides, nitrates and nitrites have been detected in Turkish fruit and vegetable products, the statement added.

  Rosselkhoznadzor said Wednesday that it would ban poultry meat imports from a Turkish factory as from Dec. 1 after it discovered prohibited and dangerous substances in its products. The watchdog denied any link between the ban and the souring of relations between the two countries.

  Turkey-Russia relations have plummeted after Turkey downed a Russian Su-24 warplane on the Syrian border on Tuesday for alleged violation of its air space. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incident a "stab in the back," and warned of serious consequences.

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