Russia will suspend its visa-free regime with Turkey from January 1, 2016, Russia Today quoted Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying Friday.

The announcement comes in response to the downing of a Russian warplane by the Turkish Air Force earlier this week.

"We have decided to suspend the visa-free regime between Russia and Turkey. This decision will come into force on January 1," Lavrov said after a meeting in Moscow with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem.

Visa-free travel between Russia and Turkey was introduced in April 2011 following an intergovernmental agreement.

It allowed Russian citizens to stay in Turkey for 30 days without a visa and vice versa.

Earlier, the Kremlin had issued a travel warning, saying Turkey was an unsafe destination for Russians.

Sources: MENA