Russian travel visa to cost at least 60 euros for Turkish citizens

Turkish citizens planning to visit Russia will pay 60 euros (TL 200) to acquire a travel visa as of January 1, 2016, the president of Russian Tour Operators Union, Dmitriy Gorin, said, Turkish media agencies reported on Friday.

"If Turkish citizens do their visa application via an intermediary agency, then they will have to add an extra 30-35 euros to this amount," Gorin reportedly said.

Visas between the two countries were lifted in 2011 as a sign of good relationship, but Russia said that it will start to impose visa on Turkish citizens as of Jan. 1, 2016, after relations between the two countries strained due to the jet crisis of November 24th.

While Turkish officials have long attempted to ease the tensions by emphasizing that Russia is not an enemy of Turkey and Turkey's right to protect its borders had to be respected, Russia's aggression has affected the ties.

Moreover, Russia further strained the two country's commercial relations by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's approving a list of sanctions against Turkey in retaliation for the downing of a Russian warplane.