Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia's national holiday, expressing hope for good bilateral relations.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)�� Turkish-Russian relations deteriorated after�a Turkish F-16 fighter downed a Russian Su-24 bomber over�Syria on�November 24, 2015. The jet was carrying out�anti-terrorist operations in�Syria. The crew of�the plane ejected and one of�the pilots, Oleg Peshkov, was killed by�ground fire, while the second pilot survived.

Moscow imposed a number of�restrictive measures on�Turkey in�response to�what Russian President Vladimir Putin classified as�a "stab in�the back."
"Dear Mr. President. On behalf of�the Turkish people, I congratulate all Russians on�Russia Day, and hope that the relations between�Russia and Turkey reach the level they deserve [to be at]," the note read.



In May, Putin said Moscow was willing to�resume its relations with�Ankara. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu proposed establishing a joint working group with�Russia in�a bid to�normalize the stalled Ankara-Moscow relations.

Prime Minister of�Turkey Binali Yildirim in�a letter to�his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev expressed hope that, "in the near�future, cooperation and relations between�the two countries will reach a level that is essential for�the common interests of�our peoples."
By Sputnik News