Turkish Official Predicts Relations With Russia Will Mend Shortly

A senior Turkish official has said Turkey and Russia do not have insurmountable problems and predicted bilateral ties will be fixed in a "short while."

Numan Kurtulmus, a deputy prime minister and the government spokesman, made the comments during a news conference in Ankara on May 30.

He also said that neither country could afford to sacrifice its relationship with the other.

Relations between the two countries soured after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November 2015.

Following the incident along the Turkish-Syrian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin imposed sanctions on Turkey and trade between the two countries plummeted.

Based on reporting by Reuters