President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the Gülenist terror-cult was behind the strained Turkey-Russia relations during his first official visit to Moscow on Tuesday after the downing of the Russian jet on November 24, 2015.

"Today, we understand it better that the FETÖ [Gülenist terror-cult] and forces supporting them targeted bilateral relations between our countries," the president said during an address to businessmen, in St. Constantin Palace in St. Petersburg, with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The painful event on November 24 has cast a dark shadow over our really good and fruitful relations with Russia," Erdoğan said and added that he hopes the meeting between the two countries' business groups will be effective and fruitful.

Erdoğan said that Turkey held two general elections in 2015, while also fighting against terror, and finally resisting against a bloody coup attempt on July 15 and added: "The treacherous attack against our democracy and republic was resisted by courage and the sacrifice of our nation."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid an official visit to St. Petersburg to meet his Russian counterpart, which marked the first time the two leaders met face-to-face since the November 2015 jet downing crisis.