Russia hits Turkey with stiff sanctions
Putin targets tourism, trade and state projects following downing of military plane
MOSCOW— Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed into law sweeping economic sanctions against Turkey, as relations between the two countries plummet after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane over the Syrian border this week.
Turkey said it shot down the Russian Su-24 bomber, part of a deployment of Russian air power striking targets in Syria, because the plane briefly crossed into Turkish airspace, a charge that Russia denies.
ARussian pilot and a marine sent to rescue him were killed in Tuesday’s incident, Russia’s first confirmed combat deaths since it deployed air power to Syria more than two months ago.
Putin, who called the attack a “stab in the back,” struck back with the sanctions, taking aim at more than $30 billion (U.S.) in trade ties between the two countries.
The sanctions bill, posted on the Kremlin’s website, targets Turkey’s tourism industry, cancels visa-free travel between the two neighbouring countries, bans many Russian companies from hiring Turkish citizens and blocks imports of some Turkish goods. Russian government agencies are expected to submit lists of banned goods and exclusions from the new sanctions on Monday.
The fallout will be particularly painful for the Turkish tourism industry. More than three million Russian tourists visit Turkey each year, many of them travelling on all-inclusive, week-long resort vacations starting at $1,000 per couple, includ- ing airfare. Putin on Saturday banned charter flights to Turkey and travel companies were ordered not to sell tours to the country.
Earlier this week, Russian Finance Minister Alexey Ulyukayev said the sanctions would also freeze some prestige projects between the two countries, including a joint venture to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant and a Russian-Turkish gas pipeline called Turkstream. Putin signed the gas deal with Turkey in December after the European Union blocked the pipeline.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s personal spokesman, bragged on Russian national television Saturday that Turkish businesses were “ringing alarm bells” over the coming sanctions.
The shoot-down has exposed the fault lines among the outside powers intervening in the four-year-old Syrian civil war, despite a shared opposition to the Islamic State.
The West, including NATO ally Turkey, has called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, while Moscow has provided him diplomatic and military cover.
Turkey targeted the Russian jet this week, as Moscow was bombing a rebel group fighting against Assad with Turkish support.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought to soothe Russia after the incident, saying he was “saddened” by the downing of the jet. But has also said he will not apologize for Turkish pilots following orders. Erdogan has asked to speak with Putin in Paris on Monday when both leaders will arrive for the 2015 UN Climate Change Summit.
Putin has ignored Erdogan’s phone calls, his press secretary said, because Erdogan has not apologized for the incident. Putin has not said whether he will speak with Erdogan in Paris.