TURKEY AND RUSSIA AGREE TO WAIVE VISA REQUIREMENTS
RTT News
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May 12 2010
(RTTNews) – As part of continuing effort to improve their relations,
Turkey and Russia agreed to waive visa requirements for their citizens
to travel to the other country.
One of the several deals signed Wednesday by the two sides obliges
Russia to build a nuclear plant in Turkey. The country’s first nuclear
power plant will be constructed near the Mediterranean port of Mersin.
The deals were signed as part of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s
two-day visit to Turkey.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Turkish capital Ankara with
his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, Medvedev called the lifting of
visa requirements a "historic agreement that will make life easier
for millions of people."
The deal excludes those visiting for up to a month from visa
requirements. Three million Russians are estimated to visit Turkey
annually.
Several other cooperation agreements signed by Turkey and Russia
envisages to attract over $25 billion in investment for joint projects.
Both the leaders said they would like to see trade between their
countries triple over the next five years to reach $100 billion.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said Turkey expected Russia to
cover 70 per cent of Turkey’s requirements for oil and gas.
"The Mideast must be a region clear of nuclear weapons," Medvedev told
reporters, echoing a recent call by the permanent members of the U.N.
Security Council.
Medvedev also said Moscow supported efforts to restore relations
between Turkey and Armenia, which has close ties to Russia.
Medvedev’s state tours of Turkey and Syria are seen as Moscow’s
strategy to deepen its influence in the Middle East.
In March, U.S. Congressional Committee’s passage of a resolution
describing as genocide the killings of Armenians by Turkish forces
during World War I had evoked strong reaction from Turkey, which
recalled its ambassador to Washington.