Moscow (Reuters) – Russia will restrict flights to and from Turkey from April 15 to June 1 due to rising COVID-19 cases in Turkey, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said on Monday amid growing political tensions between the two countries.
The decision to drastically reduce the number of flights to Turkey, which is heavily dependent on tourism revenues, was announced two days after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Istanbul.
Golikova, speaking on Russia-24, did not mention the policy in the decision to restrict flights to Turkey, a popular destination for millions of Russian tourists.
She said the number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey has increased.
A senior government official said earlier Monday that the daily number of coronavirus infections in Turkey had risen by more than 50,000, and Erdogan was reportedly ordered to tighten restrictions this week before the tourist season began.
Asked about Russia’s move, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told a news conference that a Russian delegation will soon visit Turkey’s tourist destinations to comply with coronavirus control measures.
In the latest sign of worsening relations between Russia and Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Turkey and other “responsible” nations should not fuel what he described as “belligerent sentiment” in Ukraine.
His remarks followed a press conference on Saturday in which Erdogan, along with Zelenskiy, expressed his readiness to support a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine’s pro-Moscow eastern regions, where tensions have recently erupted.
Golikova said some flights, including two a week to Istanbul, would continue.
Russia will also suspend flights to Tanzania from April 15 to June 1, she added.
Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Gleb Stolyarov Additional reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul Edited by David Evans, Mark Potter and Paul Simao