Turkish president Erdoğan apologised to Russia for downing the Russian fighter plane in November 2015. In a response to this incident Russia imposed a boycott of, among other things, Turkish fruits and vegetables. That response hit Turkey hard. Moscow demanded an apology form Ankara, before talks about lifting the boycott could even be entered into.
The Turkish president apologised in a letter. He also spoke about how he hopes the relationship between the countries will improve. Since the incident, this became very chilly. Diplomats on both sides expect the relationship to improve because of the apology. Whether that means the boycott of fresh produce will be lifted remains uncertain. Russia also imposed a ban on, among other things, holidays to Turkey. The Russian tourism sector hopes travel can be resumed now that Turkey apologised. The Russian sector is being hit hard, because there are barely any other destinations for Russian tourists.
Moscow is hoping for a better relationship with London
In response to the British referendum Moscow hopes to improve its relationship with London, according to a spokesperson of the president at the end of last week. “The Russian relationship with Great Britain has historically been very close, but we are currently being confronted with several difficulties,” according to the spokesperson. “We can see our British partners are not always willing to talk and cooperate.”
X5 wants to do its own importing
The Russian retailer wants to import its own products, and thereby get round the importers. Plans include direct import from Armenia. “We import food from more than 25 countries, and the majority of it arrives via our partners. Our goal is therefore to realise more direct import, we have already started it,” according to CEO Igor Shekhterman at the economic forum in St Petersburg.