The Russian government has ratified a set of updated sanctions against Turkey amid a row between the two countries that started after the downing of a Russian jet by the Turkish military.
According to the updated list of Moscow’s sanctions against Ankara on the Kremlin’s website, Turkish companies will be banned from constructing buildings or working in the architecture and design sector in Russia. The ban also precludes Turks from working in the travel or hotel business, and Turkish companies will not be able to participate in forestry and timber processing.
“As you know, special economic measures with respect to the Republic of Turkey have been approved,” said Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the government meeting on Wednesday. “The import of certain food products and agricultural produce has been banned. Starting January 1, 2016, the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens holding ordinary passports will be suspended. Moreover, also starting next year, Russian employers will not be allowed to hire any more Turkish nationals.”
The website added that the bans by the Russian government do not apply to those contracts in place or coming into effect before the approved date of January 1, 2016.
It said the sanctions exclude the 53 Turkish companies now operating in Russia and engaged in construction, the auto industry, the production of construction materials, polymeric tubes, fittings, plumbing equipment and flooring.
Russia’s relations with Turkey soured after the Turkish military on November 24 shot down a Russian Sukhoi aircraft, which Ankara claimed violated the Turkish airspace near the Syrian border. Moscow denied the accusation.
Referring to the incident as “a stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists,” Putin had said the downing of the Russian plane would have “serious consequences” for Moscow-Ankara ties.
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