Russian military delegation arrives in Turkey

A Russian military delegation is paying an assessment visit to Turkey. This is the first visit by Russian officials since the plane crisis that put bilateral relations off track six months ago, Yeni ?afak newspaper reported.

The three-member delegation headed for to Foça town, ?zmir, to the Naval Infantry Brigades Command after their plane landed in Istanbul on Monday.

Ultra-tight security measures have been taken to prevent any unrest in Foça town while they are in Turkey. The delegation was escorted into the Command by the guards. The assessment under the Vienna Document has been conducted in absolute secrecy. The Vienna Document is an agreement among 57 participating states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to implement confidence and security-building measures.

The delegation will fly back to Moscow on Wednesday. A senior academic from Ege University said Russian delegation's visit to the Naval Command will help mending relations with Moscow. “The tension between Russia and Turkey is unsustainable. This is only a symbolic visit but it will contribute to efforts to fix relations between the two countries,” Prof. Dr. Tanju Tosun, of the university's International Relations department.

Source : MENA